


Sins of the Mother

by Casey02



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Dani's Mom, F/M, Family Secrets, Friends to Lovers, Friendship / Flirting / Thinking of You Fest, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:53:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25112668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey02/pseuds/Casey02
Summary: Everyone has a mystery about them. Sometimes there are little secrets, like secretly enjoying dancing in your underwear to the latest pop hits and sometimes there are big secrets, like changing your last name so no one could connect you to your serial killer father. Detective Dani Powell had her secrets, some that she kept herself and some that people kept from her.What happens when some of those secrets come to the surface and blows her life apart?
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 22
Kudos: 67





	1. How I Met Your Mom

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All! This is my first time delving into the Prodigal Son fanfiction world! I wanted to explore a story where we learn more about Dani and her paid. In addition, I wanted Malcolm to serve as her support (and definitely much more as the story progresses). Since we don't know much about her family, I thought why not now? I hope you enjoy and look forward to seeing the mystery unfold.

Everyone has a mystery about them. Sometimes there are little secrets, like secretly enjoying dancing in your underwear to the latest pop hits and sometimes there are big secrets, like changing your last name so no one could connect you to your serial killer father. Detective Dani Powell had her secrets, some that she kept herself and some that people kept from her.  
On this slightly windy autumn morning in New York City, she drove into the space in front of Malcolm Bright’s loft apartment, her black Toyota Camry quietly hummed as she waited for Malcolm to emerge. She offered to give the newest member of her squad team a ride to work so that he wouldn’t get teased anymore but the officers at the station about his fancy town car escort every morning. Over the last three weeks, she welcomed Malcolm’s cheery disposition during these morning rides. Being that she wasn’t truly a morning person, he helped her wake up and get into ‘Dani’ mode as she liked to call it—not much different than Detective Dani Powell, but somewhere in the middle from the Grumble Monster that she woke up as.  
The Grumble Monster, was a nickname that her deceased father had given her as a child whenever he came into her room to tickle her awake as a child and she rewarded him with an annoyed, ‘Dadddddd!’ The first morning that she awoke as a teen and there was no ‘Grumble Monster’ wake up call, she sobbed. She sobbed in bed for hours and thought that the tears would never stop. However, that was years ago and it was only occasionally that the disappearance of the Grumble Monster shook her to the core.  
Lowering her the driver’s side visor, Dani started touching up her blush pink lip-gloss as she caught a glimpse of Malcolm walking out of his front door with a jovial smile on his face. He peered in the car for a few moments, before opening the passenger side door and sliding in next to her. The smile that spread across her face reaching her eyes was almost automatic. She was forever amazed at how someone who had a childhood like Malcolm could still find a way to be so happy at the crack of dawn. She concluded awhile ago that it had to be the drugs that he consumed daily to help with his depression among other things.  
“Goooood morning!” he chirped turning to give her one of his trademark grins.  
Dani squinted in return, “How is it, someone who only gets about 3 hours of sleep a night can get up in the morning and be so cheerful?” she looked over at him with a smirk. Malcolm’s greenish blue eyes twinkled at her, “I would have you know, I got 4.5 hours of sleep last night and daily affirmations can really start your day off right. It helps, maybe you should try it Dani,” Malcolm added leaning back in his seat as she pulled away from the curb.  
“Yeah well, I was up late last night, I had a date after work,” she replied as they drove down the street away from Malcolm’s loft.  
Shifting in his his seat, Malcolm bobbed his head, “Oh did you?”  
“Yeah, some guy I met at the corner bodega. Apparently, we like the same sandwiches…either way, it was kind of a dud.”  
Malcolm’s delight at her last statement appeared quickly and disappeared just as quickly as she continued, “So that won’t happen again, but it was nice to actually go out and spend time with someone who doesn’t have a badge and doesn’t want to discuss a case,” she replied.  
“Yeah, I guess,” Malcolm mumbled as he looked out of the window noticing that they were heading away from the on ramp that would take them to the precinct, “are we going to a scene?”  
She bit her lip tentatively closing her eyes, “So let me apologize in advance, I forgot that I have to stop at my mom’s before heading to the station.”  
Malcolm sat up straighter, “I get to meet your mother?”  
Shaking her head causing her curls to bounce, Dani turned to him at the red light, “My mother…she doesn’t take well to strangers.”  
Malcolm sat back dejected, “But I’m your partner, not necessarily a stranger.”  
“She also doesn’t like cops.”  
“But you’re a cop?” Malcolm stated confused.  
“Yes and we never discuss it. I’m sorry, I won’t be long. I just have to pick something up and it will only take a few moments, I promise.”  
“So I have to stay in the car?” he asked.  
Dani nodded, “And don’t talk to anyone, you have FED written all over you and people in the neighborhood may not appreciate the special Malcolm Bright charm.”  
“You think I have charm?” he wiggled his eyebrow at her.  
Dani rolled her eyes, “In your own Bright way,” she shrugged as they continued down the street.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Malcolm gazed out of the window as they drove through different neighborhoods while entering the Bronx neighborhood where Dani grew up. He watched as her fingers nervously tapped on the steering wheel at every red light. She was anxious. He wasn’t sure if it was due to visiting her mother or the fact that she was bringing him anywhere close to her childhood neighborhood or letting him see a part of her that he hadn’t seen before. His relationship with Dani had grown over the last couple of months. Keeping Gil company during his physical therapy following his stabbing, being a steady support for him during Ainsley’s ordeal after the Endicott incident (as his mother called it), listening to his shoulda, coulda, wouldas about his ill-fated relationship with Eve and just listening to him and his crazy theories. She had become his favorite partner and he started to crave hearing her laugh when he told her one of his dead serious adventures in boarding school and in college.  
Suddenly Dani slowed down a treelined street containing twin homes stopping at one that was painted sunflower yellow and white. He noticed the curtains move slightly as Dani parked and unbuckled her seatbelt, “I swear only a few moments and please just stay in the car,” she almost pleaded.  
“I will stay in the car, I can follow simple directions Dani,” Malcolm pouted.  
She narrowed her eyes.  
“Well most times, I will stay in the car and speak to no one,” he threw up his hands.  
“Good,” she answered sliding out of the driver’s seat and waving at an older black man raking his leaves outside on the curb, “Hello Mr. Tom!”  
“Good Morning Danielle!” he called back.  
“Danielle?” Malcolm whispered in the car and then caught a glance of Dani leaning down staring at him from outside of the window on the sidewalk, ‘Don’t you even think about it’ she mouthed before heading up the stairs to the front door of the yellow and white house.  
Dani slowly turned her key allowing herself entrance to the house and stepped into the foyer. A house that used to bring her so much comfort and joy, now brought her apprehension and uneasiness, “Mom!” she called out hearing her voice somewhat echo throughout the long foyer.  
“You’re early,” Lena Powell entered from the dining room wiping her hands on her jeans.  
Dani shrugged, “Well I have to be at the station earlier than normal and I wanted to make sure that I stopped by and got the package that you wanted me to mail,” Dani explained, with her hands in her jacket pocket, “what is it anyway?” she asked lifting a wrapped square box off of the glass console table.  
“Just a gift for a friend, nothing for you to worry about Danielle,” Lena stated staring past her and out of the window by the door, “who is that man standing outside talking to Tom?”  
Dani’s head whipped around to see Malcolm outside of the car having an animated conversation with Tom, the neighbor who was laughing and slapping his knee. Immediately Dani pursed her lips, “Excuse me,” she mumbled before marching over to the door flinging it open, “Bright!” she hissed from the top of the steps.  
Malcolm froze in the middle of his story, “Sorry, Mr. Tom…Dani is calling me,” he turned around on his heels and skipped up the stairs, “I know, I know…I’m horrible with following directions,” he slid past her and entered the house coming face to face with a statuesque woman with dark olive skin, jet black hair and the same big russet colored eyes that Dani possessed. The woman was striking, so striking that the slight wrinkles and shadowy circles under her eyes hardly made any impression on her beauty. Her eyes shifted from Dani to Malcolm and back to Dani. He glanced down and noticed a slight tremor in her hand as she slowly reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, “Umm…I’m Malcolm Bright, Dani’s partner at work,” he waved slowly.  
“Malcolm, this is my mother Lena Powell,” Dani stepped up next to him. The way she clipped every word, he could sense her anger. He was curious, he would ask for forgiveness later.  
“Nice to meet you,” Lena glanced over at Dani and then back at Malcolm, “Danielle, may I speak to you for a moment?”  
Dani sighed, “Yes, Mom. Malcolm, I’ll be back and don’t touch a thing,” she hissed before following her mother towards the kitchen.  
Malcolm nodded watching the two women disappear. They had the exact same gait. He then turned his attention to the cozily decorated living room. The living room furniture looked comfortable, lived in unlike the antique furniture that his mother obsessed over that people were rarely allowed to sit on. A slightly worn couch rested against a way along with two accent chairs on both sides of it. The coffee table in the middle of the room contained various magazines with women on the front. His attention was then quickly drawn to pictures on the shelf over the fireplace. The first picture that captured his eyes was a small, chubby baby with tawny like skin and large sensitive eyes. There were other pictures of the child a little older sitting on the lap of a man with deep mahogany skin. Their smiles matched. Then other pictures followed, where he saw his partner with her curly hair and trademark smirk in graduation pictures and prom pictures.  
“You done?” Dani asked from the doorway causing his gaze to sever from the family pictures decorating the shelf.  
Malcolm whirled around, “You were a cute baby,” he added, “your pictures don’t resemble some 19th century painting like mine does.”  
Dani’s mouth twisted a little as if she wanted to smile, but she was still pissed at him, “Uh, huh, you ready to go or should I show you my childhood bedroom?” Dani asked gesturing towards the stairs.  
Malcolm’s eyes lit up, “Would you?” he asked excitedly imagining just what a teenage Dani used to decorate her bedroom.  
He was disappointed to see a roll of the eyes, indicating that a tour would not be possible, “Danielle, it was nice meeting your partner,” Lena appeared beside her with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “but I have to make some phone calls.”  
Nodding and kissing her mother on the cheek, Dani turning to Malcolm “Come on Bright and Mom, I will mail your package today, ok.”  
“Good, thank you and its important,” Lena stated with a hint of urgency that peaked Malcolm’s interest. He was accustomed to strange mothers, but there was definitely something…off…about Dani’s mother.  
Minutes later, the two partners were pulling away from the curb and Dani had a death grip on the steering wheel. She licked her lips repeatedly as they turned onto the freeway towards the station and Malcolm could feel her irritation pulsating through the car. He bobbled his head to the side and then spoke, “Ok, I’m sorry. I overstepped. I was curious. When I was younger—I had very few friends, especially those that I actually got to go visit. I know you told me to wait in the car and I didn’t. I’m sorry.”  
Dani stared over at him, “You knew what you were doing and playing the son of Martin Whitly card won’t make me less mad at you.”  
Malcolm sunk down in his seat, for Dani to bring up his father, she had to be incensed, “I’m sorry,” he repeated, quieter.  
Sighing Dani continued, “I shouldn’t have brought you. I know that telling you to stay put is like telling you to stroll in and take a look at everything in the house. My mother reacted rather calmly to your presence though, so I guess that says something.”  
“Your mother…is nice,” Malcolm managed to squeak out causing Dani to chuckle, “Nice way of putting it,” she responded, “my mother is paranoid, she’s been that way since my dad died.”  
Malcolm nodded, “I noticed the slight hand tremor and the playing with her hair, nervous ticks?”  
Dani glanced over at him, “Don’t profile my mother, Bright.”  
Holding up his hands in protest, Malcolm defended himself, “Not profiling, just observing.”  
Running her hand through her hair, Dani groaned, “She didn’t used to be this way…well not to this extreme. She was always cautious, but my father had this way of loosening her up. We laughed a lot,” she replied wistfully, “and then, the car accident happened and my mother changed. I will never forget the way she screamed waking me up that night. She just kept screaming over and over again, ‘They killed him, they killed him!’”  
“Who?” Malcolm asked.  
Shrugging she answered him, “My dad fell asleep at the wheel, he had come off of working three double shifts as a bus driver. There were no other people involved. When I became a cop, that was the first thing I did was look up the accident report. Single vehicle accident.”  
“Why would she think someone killed him?”  
“She never explained and when the police pressed her for answers, she said that she was wrong—there were no other people involved.”  
“Do you believe what she said?” Malcolm asked quietly as he noticed Dani’s hand move slightly on the steering wheel as she turned to meet his stare and he pressed further, “do you believe that someone may have murdered your father?”  
She turned to him and smiled sadly, “If there was another reason for my dad’s death other than him choosing to drive tired and deprived of sleep, maybe it would have been easier to accept way back when—but now? I realize it was just a horrible accident.”  
Malcolm nodded as he sat back in his seat as Dani continued to drive towards the precinct with only the sounds of the radio filling the car.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

After 12 hours of working on their latest case, which involved a husband electrocuting his wife because she found out about his affair and was determined to divorce him and leave him destitute, Dani headed to her mother’s house to drop off the receipt for the package she mailed earlier. Her mother had insisted on it. Malcolm decided to tie up some loose ends with Gil.  
The knots in her stomach that formed from that morning’s visit had not untied themselves. The conversation with Bright afterwards stirred up emotions that she hadn’t revisited in years. Her father’s death was always in the back of her mind. The trauma of losing him so unexpectedly and so swiftly was one that she thought there would be no healing from. Then the change in her mother came and it was another factor that made her want to block out that part of her life. Her father’s death was an accident and her mother’s rantings on the night he died was always written off as shock or a delusion.  
Parking her car behind a black SUV in front of the yellow and white house, Dani jumped out and jogged up the stairs taking out her keys with the package receipt in her hand. Reaching the door, she heard loud voices inside, “You have to leave!” her mother cried out.  
Dani’s hand immediately went to her service weapon on her hip as she quickly turned the key unlocking the door while tucking the receipt in her jeans. She slowly opened the door and rushed to the living room foyer. Her mother’s face was tinged with red, tears streaming down her face. Standing in front of her was a muscular man with jet black hair in a tailored suit, “Antonia, I’m not leaving and you know that.”  
“You are leaving, either by your own accord or in a body bag,” Dani stated as she cocked her gun aiming at the stranger’s head.  
Looking over the man’s shoulder, Lena held up her hands, “Danielle, it’s nothing…”  
Standing completely still the middle of the living room’s hardwood floor, the man made no moves nor did he turn around to get a glimpse of the woman who was currently holding a 9mm glock at the back of his head, “Antonia, I am giving you one more chance,” he told her mother.  
“I don’t know who you are, but she’s not this Antonia woman that you think she is. You have 3 seconds to move away from my mother,” Dani warned before starting her countdown with her heart beating rapidly in her chest, “1…”  
She watched as the man turned to face her for the first time and she focused on his eyes, she knew those eyes and then her eyes met her mother’s which widened as she began to move towards Dani, “Mikey no!” Lena screamed as an onslaught of pain attacked the right side of her head and everything in the room went black.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

The darkness outside caused the lighting in Gil’s office to become more fluorescent as Malcolm finished loading case files into the leather cache amongst empty coffee cups strewn across the metal table, “Good work Kid, I think this may be a record for you,” Gil patted Malcolm on the back.  
“Yeahhh it was rather simple, once the husband decided not to hide the receipt for the Maserati,” Malcolm demurred at the now clear white board with his hand resting on his chin. The events of that morning with Dani’s mother had consumed his thoughts during the day and he couldn’t shake them. Speaking to Gil may be the only way to quell his suspicious, “I have a question for you?”  
Gil looked over with a raised eyebrow, “About the case?”  
“No, about Dani.”  
Gil inhaled settling down in one of the conference room chairs, “Oook, what do you want to know about Dani that you are afraid to ask her yourself?”  
“Well I met her mother this morning…” Malcolm began noticing Gil’s eyebrows raise and for a brief moment, he felt a slight twist in his heart, “not like that,” rushing into to explain, he continued, “she gave me a ride to work and she had to stop past her mother’s house. Her mother is…different, well probably normal compared to mine, but different.”  
“Oook,” Gil invited him to continue.  
“And me and Dani got to talking about her dad’s accident, the one that killed him. She told me that her mother didn’t believe that it was just an accident. Do you know anything about the car accident and the investigation?”  
Gil shrugged, “I read the report, Dani asked me to look through it again to make sure she didn’t miss anything. It was a horrible accident. But it happened because a man worked too hard providing for his family. There was nothing else that I noticed.”  
Malcolm rubbed his chin in thought. That answer did nothing to satisfy his curiosity.  
Standing up from his chair, Gil leaned forward, “Bright, I see the wheels turning—leave it alone.”  
“Gil.”  
Taking a deep breath, Gil reached out to touch his surrogate son’s shoulder. He wanted to be as tactful about this as possible, considering that he’d seen the connection between his detective and the profiler and maybe he was even to blame for fostering the connection—but he needed to level set with the young man in front of him, “Look, I know that you like Dani…”  
Malcolm chortled, “We are friends,” he answered a little too affirmatively.  
Gil smiled sarcastically, “Right, you are friends and since you are friends—you want to protect your friend and the only way to protect your friend is not to bring up terrible occurrences from their past that they have put to bed.”  
Malcolm’s head bobbed as he walked away from Gil’s fixed gaze, “Dani wrote her mother’s concerns off as paranoia, what if its more than that, Gil? Don’t you think it would be better for them to know the truth?”  
Gil shook his head setting his mouth in a straight line, “Leave it alone, kid. Promise me, you will leave it alone. Be a friend to Dani in another way.”  
Malcolm resigned himself, “Fine, I will drop it.”  
“Thank you,” Gil replied, “need a ride home?”  
“No, I’m going to call my mother’s driver to pick me up,” Malcolm mumbled as Gil slid his jacket on.  
“Ok, see you tomorrow,” Gil headed out of the room.  
Malcolm took a deep breath and removed his cell phone from his pocket, glancing down and dialing Dani.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

The sound of parakeets chirping broke through the darkness that she’d been encased in as her eyes fluttered open. The pain in Dani’s head threatened to paralyze her as tears sprang to her eyes and the metallic taste of copper in her mouth almost choked her. Her hand shakily went to her mouth and touched the wetness pooling below her lip, blood stained her fingers. Lying on the floor, she slowly lifted her head, with a painful ache in every movement to survey her surroundings. She was in the foyer of her mother’s home, an table was overturned in the living room along with the chairs. “Mom,” she whispered. The stabbing pain made her feel as though she shouted it and she immediately grabbed the side of her head. She slowly raised her body up by resting on her elbows and knees and quickly the room begun to spin, “Mommy,” she cried out looking around in fear as her phone chirped one last time. Glancing over she noticed a missed call from Bright and now a voice message. Her bloodied hand reached for her phone as she looked around unable to fully stand, dragging herself to sit up against the wall surrounded by broken glass from vases that used to be on the overturned console table in the foyer. Seeing Bright’s name, she pressed it and listened to the phone ring which threatened to split her brain into two as she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, “Dani! I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time…” Bright’s jovial voice came through the other side.  
With her eyes squeezed shut, she managed to breathe out, “Bright.”  
He continued after hearing her say his name, “I know this morning was awkward, but I want to apologize if…”  
“Bright,” Dani stated again mustering up as much energy as she could, “I need you…I need you to come to my mom’s house.”  
He stopped immediately from putting on his coat, realizing that something was wrong, “Dani what happened?”  
“I…I don’t know, I need you to come, please,” her voice hitched laced with pain.  
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he ended the call quickly rushing out of the station.  
Dani dropped her phone on the floor as her eyelids got heavy and she closed them unable to handle the pain any longer.


	2. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani finds out what happened and about her mother's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos and the Bookmark. I appreciate the interest showed in my fic.

The black town car barely came to a stop before Malcolm hopped out of the front seat, much to the driver’s chagrin he voiced by cursing at the young man who hopped out of his car. Malcolm’s heart pounded in his chest as he rushed up the stairs to Lena’s front door. He touched the doorknob positively out of breath causing the door to open without much effort.  
The house was slightly darkened with only the moonlight providing light to the inside. He could see from the torn apart foyer that something had occurred due to the amount of glass and furniture overturned on the floor. His eyes wildly searched his surroundings before landing on Dani, sitting up against the wall. Her nose was bloodied and he could see purplish bruises forming on her the left side of her face. Rushing over to her, he dropped to his knees before touching her discolored cheek, “Dani…Dani…wake up,” he begged softly while looking around. The living room looked as if there had been a tussle and he noticed a handgun on the floor under one of the chairs, “Dani, come on…talk to me,” he tried to rouse her.  
Her eyes slowly opened and Malcolm’s heart slowed to a normal rhythm, “My…my…my mom,” she whispered while grimacing and trying to move, but immediately gasping in pain grabbing her wrist.  
Malcolm looked around at the darkened house which was eerily quiet other than their voices, “I don’t think that she’s here Dani.”  
“They took her.”  
“Who took her?” Malcolm asked as he fished his phone out of his coat pocket.  
“I…don’t know,” she breathed out as tears sprang to her eyes due to the pain coursing through head.  
Malcolm’s hand went back to her bruised cheek gently feeling a hint of anger bubble up inside of him, “Stay with me Dani,” as he watched her eyes open and close, “yes, I need an ambulance, I have a woman with a head injury…she’s a NYPD detective…hurry.”  
Dani’s eyes continued to droop, “Dani, stay with me here. You have to stay awake,” Malcolm pleaded with her.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Malcolm stood in the middle of the hospital hallway, eyes transfixed on the room that Dani lie in with doctors and nurses standing around her. She had lost consciousness again in the ambulance, but he was assured when he went into full panic mode that it was a symptom of the concussion due to the blow to the head she sustained. Walking into that darkened house felt like another version of his many nightmares. Seeing Dani lying on the floor, unconscious was a shock to his system. For a minute he thought that something extremely horrible happened to her, but he hesitated to say he was almost relieved that she wasn’t touched other than her head injury—which was bad enough, “Bright, what happened!” Gil rushed to his side, followed closely by JT.  
Malcolm slowly turned his attention to Gil and JT, “I don’t know, I called Dani to talk to her and she told me that she needed me to come. When I got to her mother’s house, it was torn apart like a fight happened and Dani was passed out on the floor. She said someone took her mom,” Malcolm filled them in.  
Gil turned to JT, “Go to Dani’s mother’s house, Bright give him the address. Get a team there to scour for any evidence they can find.”  
“I’ll get right on it, keep me updated,” JT nodded looking at his phone which contained the address that Bright had texted him.  
“Ok, did she say who took her mother?” Gil asked Malcolm, who had turned back to the hospital room, “Bright…”  
Malcolm continued to watch the doctor moving the light across Dani’s eyes, “Kid!”  
Malcolm shook his head turning back from the window to answer Gil, “I was pre-occupied with keeping her awake. There’s one thing though,” Malcolm looked around before showing Gil the glock in his coat pocket, “it’s Dani’s, it must have fallen out of her hand when she was hit. Whomever hit her, didn’t take it…that means, that they weren’t your run of the mill criminals and they were professionals of some kind.”  
Gil shook his head looking back in the window as the doctor exited, “Are you family?” he asked, “I know you brought her in, but we need to speak to her family.”  
Gil brandished his badge, “We’re her family, what happened?”  
“She has a Grade 3 Concussion; we’re going to take her up for a CT scan in a few moments to be sure. From the shape of the injury on her temple, it looks like she may have been hit with a butt of a gun. There’s some bruising from when she fell and she has a sprain to her wrist. She will make a full recovery, but with this type of concussion there may be some short-term amnesia when she fully regains consciousness.”  
Malcolm swallowed as Gil took a deep breath beside him as they watched the orderlies come and wheel Dani out of the room, “I will update you as soon as the CT scan results are back,” the doctor informed them as Dani was wheeled down the hallway.  
Malcolm had noticed her bruises had become more prominent as Gil squeezed his shoulder, “She’s going to be ok.”  
“Will she?” Malcolm asked turning to him, “her mother’s been abducted and besides the whole concussion thing, that’s going to be devastating for her.”  
“Hopefully, we will have some good news about her mother by the time she regains consciousness,” Gil stated optimistically. Malcolm nodded, but he wasn’t confident. The fact that whomever did this to Dani and took her mother, left behind her service weapon didn’t sit right with him. What criminal wouldn’t welcome a new weapon to their collection or wouldn’t have used it to finish Dani off? Something wasn’t off and it unsettled him.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

The sound of a machine beeping next to her slowing brought her back to consciousness as she moved her finger slowly. The pain that radiated from her head to her wrist made her feel as though she’d went a dozen rounds with Laila Ali and lost horribly. Dani reached up to touch her cheek and realized that it was hardened and painful to the touch, “Ow,” she squeaked out and immediately heard shuffling next to her, “Dani,” Bright’s voice came to her as she felt soft warm hands touching hers, “don’t touch your face,” he whispered.  
Opening her eyes, she surveyed the scene in front of her, Malcolm was standing over her with the sun shining brightly behind him and his marine colored like eyes were staring back at her. It was as if she walked into some weird rom com, “Bright? What…I’m in the hospital?” she asked looking around slowly, “and God, why does my head hurt so bad?”  
“What do you remember from last night?” Malcolm asked pulling his chair closer to the bed.  
She closed her eyes, she remembered waving goodbye to Gil, Malcolm and JT at the station and then heading to her mother’s house and then it was all blank, “Umm, I left you all at the station and headed towards my mom’s house. Wait, did I get into a car accident? Does my mom know? You have to let her know before she sees it on the news or something,” she panicked attempting to sit up as Malcolm placed his hand on her shoulder.  
Seeing the panic in Dani’s eyes was new and disturbing, she’d always been so put together and this was just the beginning for her, “You weren’t in a car accident.”  
“Ok, then what happened to me?” Dani peered into his eyes.  
Her eyes look so vulnerable, he thought to himself. He was about to destroy what was left of her composure, “Dani, last night after you left the station—you went to your mother’s house.”  
Her hand slowly raised to her forehead, “My mom’s house?”  
“Yes, and I’m not sure what happened there, but you called me and you were hurt. You were hit over the head by someone and you have a concussion. There’s no permanent damage, but they wanted to keep you for awhile because you lost consciousness,” Malcolm spoke slowly and measured.  
“But…I don’t remember that, where’s my mother?” Dani asked.  
Grimacing, Malcolm continued, “We don’t know. The house had evidence of a struggle and when you woke up for a few moments when I got there, you said they took her.”  
Dani stared back at him blinking as her chest heaved with tears springing to her eyes, “I…I have to go…I don’t know who they are, but someone has my mom,” she flung the sheets off of her and started to get out of the bed as Malcolm grabbed her arms, “Dani, you can’t go…not yet.”  
“What do you mean? My mom’s been kidnapped and you’re telling me that I have to stay here, that’s not happening,” she tried to get out of his grip.  
“Gil and JT are at your mom’s house; they are searching every inch of it for any type of clues as to who took her and where she is. They will find her…we will find her,” Malcolm held onto her staring directly into her eyes.  
Dani shook her head as she breathed out heavily, “My mom?” she whimpered as the tears that gathered in her eyes began to slowly fall down her cheeks.  
“We will find her,” Malcolm reiterated bringing her into an embrace as she held onto him.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

It been 3 hours since Malcolm told Dani that her mother was abducted and she was there, but didn’t stop it. She begged the doctor to discharge her, but he only agreed when Malcolm agreed to watch over her and bring her back if she began to experience any intense headaches or other severe side effects from the concussion. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as they drove to her apartment. The way she chewed on the tip of thumb and tapped her foot signaled that she was anxious, “We will go to your apartment, you can change clothes and then we can go to your mother’s house. I know that you want to go there and we will, just change clothes first at least,” he informed her.  
Dani turned to him and nodded slowly before looking out of the window. He could see her mind racing with every nibble to her thumb and every tap of the foot. When the car stopped, Malcolm was out of his side before Dani could reach the handle and he opened the door for her holding out his hand, “I can get out of the car by myself,” she brushed off his hand, stepping out of the car and then feeling her body sway and Malcolm steadied her, “fine, I do need some help,” she stated as they headed up the stairs to her brownstone.  
Malcolm looked around as they entered through the large wooden door and headed up the first flight of stairs. He hadn’t been to Dani’s apartment or even pictured what it looked like before. She paused at the apartment door that read 203 and fished her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. She stepped inside followed by Malcolm and he was pleasantly surprised. He pictured Dani’s apartment to be decorated in a dark color scheme. A lot of black and deep purples, but when he stepped over the threshold, he was hit with a white, pink and silver scheme. Her pink couch sat in the middle of the room with two white chairs on each side of it, decorated with pink, white and silver throw pillows. The rug on the floor was a mix of pink and silver. The accent tables were white and decorated with silver picture frames of her, her parents, Gil and JT and some other friends. For a moment, Malcolm was disappointed that his smiling face wasn’t included.  
Overall, the apartment was a burst of femininity and softness, two things that he didn’t exactly expect from Dani given her exterior at work, “Your apartment is nice.”  
“What were you expecting? All doom and gloom? I have enough of that at work,” she gave him a halfhearted smile.  
“Touché,” he answered, “how about you get cleaned up and we will go to your mom’s house.”  
Dani nodded slowly, “Umm…make yourself at home, make some tea or something,” she nodded towards the kitchen area before disappearing down the hallway.  
Malcolm walked into the kitchen and looked around. While looking for cups, he caught a glimpse of a picture on the refrigerator. It was Dani and her mom smiling into the camera. Their eyes were so bright and their smiles so wide. He frowned. He hoped that Dani could have that again.  
Dani entered her bedroom and closed the door. Glancing over at her full-length mirror by the closet, she gasped at reflection. The entire left side of her face sported a purplish bruise that she touched lightly feeling the sting of the pain. Her wrist was wrapped tightly from her fall, but the bruises nor the sprain hurt more than the fact she couldn’t remember what happened to her mother. The conversation they shared yesterday was all that she could bring from the depths of her brain…

“So who is he, Danielle?” Lena asked in a hushed tone as she nodded towards the living room.  
“Bri…I mean Malcolm?” Dani twisted her mouth, “he’s a profiler that Gil brought on to help us with cases from time to time.”  
“And do you usually escort him to work?”  
Dani shook her head, “No, we’re friends and he doesn’t drive and I offered to drive him…that’s all,” she shrugged.  
Lena looked unconvinced, “If you say, Baby Girl.”  
“Mom, there’s nothing going on between me and Malcolm.”  
Lena touched Dani’s arm, “Of course there’s not. What I do know is that you haven’t brought one co-worker to my home in all of the years you’ve been on the force and suddenly you bring that very cute young man in there?”  
Dani looked down at her boots, “That’s because I know how you feel about cops,” she mumbled.  
Her mother shook her head, “Well anyway, please make sure you mail that package and bring me the receipt so I can track it.”  
“Mom, what’s so important about this package…who are you sending it to?” Dani asked glancing down at the brown square box in her hands.  
Lena smiled, “You don’t need to know everything my Danielle.”  
“Right, I will bring you the receipt when I get off of work tonight.”  
“And will you bring Malcolm?” Lena teased.  
Dani glanced back at her mother, “No.”  
Lena smiled before bringing Dani into a hug, “I love you so much, do you know that?” Dani wrapped her arms around her mother, “I do,” she whispered in reply.

The tears flowed freely from her eyes as she wiped them away quickly. She needed to hurry, so they could get to her mother’s house and find whatever evidence they could pointing to who took her and why.  
When Malcolm heard the shower water shut off, he poured the hot water into the two mugs he managed to find after many tries and fails in Dani’s kitchen. She desperately needed his mother’s Feng Shui expert to come over and organize her kitchen. He would suggest that as soon as this entire ordeal was over. He found a space at the kitchen island on a stool and read through his text messages from Gil. There was no evidence to even give them a clue as to who took Lena Powell, but Gil was being called to the station and he hoped that he would have more information soon.  
Fifteen minutes after the water shut off, Dani came padding into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a heather grey t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and her bruise was shining prominently. It was in that moment that he couldn’t wait to find the guy who harmed her and have 10 minuets with him and his axes; however, despite the bruise, he could see that Dani was stripped down. Not a hint of make-up and maybe for the first time, he noticed that she was an absolute natural beauty. Her lips, her cheekbones, her eyes, they were all recipes for the perfect face. He also noticed for the first time, how beautiful and long her neck was. He stared. He couldn’t help it.  
“Malcom?” she stated bringing him out of his daze.  
“Yes…umm…hi…I made some tea,” he pushed a pink cup that read ‘I Hate Every Day that ends in Y’ towards her.  
“Thank you, but I don’t think I want any.”  
“You have to drink the tea and that little donut I found in your pantry. I know you’re on some heavy painkillers and if you don’t eat anything, you will get sick,” Malcolm pushed the tiny white powdered donut towards her.  
She shook her head before picking it up and taking a bite of the donut.  
“So when you’re done, we can go,” Malcolm spoke up.  
“Has Gil called?” Dani asked in between sips of her tea.  
“He sent a text, they haven’t found anything at the house yet…” Malcolm began noticing the tears brimming in Dani’s eyes, “but they aren’t done and you know criminals, they always leave something behind.”  
Dani’s face contorted into anger, “I can’t remember anything. I don’t know who took my mother or why they would. My mom works from home, she writes articles for a women magazine. She doesn’t have any enemies! Why would someone take her? Do you think it has anything to do with me…you know, my job?” she asked quietly with a hint of guilt.  
Malcolm shook his head, “If it had anything to do with you, they would have done whatever they wanted to you and her when you were all in the house. This has nothing to do with you.”  
Dani bent over resting her elbows on the counter, “It would be easier if it did. Right now? We have nothing. No suspects. Nothing and I’m afraid. I’m afraid for her,” Dani’s voice broke, “and my mind won’t let me remember anything about last night.”  
“The doctor said your memory may come back in a few days.”  
“In a few days! Bright, do you know what could happen to my mother in a few days! They could…” Dani began and then closed her mouth quickly bringing her hand to her mouth. A sob broke through as much as she tried to suppress it, it seeped through and she hated showing this vulnerability. Malcolm jumped off of his stool standing in front of her, “Look at me,” he stated.  
She shook her head, “She’s all I have left,” Dani crooked out, “I can’t lose her.”  
“And you won’t, I promise you,” Malcolm brought her into a tight hug, “will are going to find your mom.”  
Dani backed away slightly searching Malcolm’s face through her tears meeting his eyes, “You promise, Malcolm,” she asked never breaking her gaze.  
“I promise,” he assured her not missing the fact that she called him by his first name.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

When Dani opened the door to her mother’s house, she wasn’t ready for what she encountered. The entire foyer had papers, pictures and broken glass leading the way. When she stood in the entryway to the living room, she felt her heart momentarily pause. The accent tables, coffee table and a chair were turned over. The pictures that lined the shelf over the fireplace were on the floor, “I need to know who did this,” she said through clenched teeth.  
“We’re working on it,” Malcolm answered her, “do you think there’s anything that maybe the techs missed? They took your mother’s computer. Dusted for prints? Took some of the recent mail received?”  
Dani looked around, “My mom is going to be so angry at this mess,” she whispered.  
“I will have a cleaning crew come over, I will also have someone take pictures of anything broken and send my mother on a hunt,” he offered.  
Dani turned to her partner and gave him a watery smile, “You don’t have to,” she whispered.  
“I want to,” he answered.  
Dani walked over to the fireplace and picked up one of the broken picture frames, before frowning, “The picture of me, my mom and my dad is missing?”  
“What?” Malcolm walked over stepping on the glass on the floor.  
“The picture…one of the last pictures we took together, it’s gone…why would they take it?” she asked looking around.  
Malcolm had no answers or at least, none that would help, “Does your mother have one of those doorbells? The one with the camera?”  
“No, she doesn’t trust those…wait…she doesn’t have one, but Mr. Tom across the street does. He’s the neighborhood watch. He may have captured something.”  
“He probably gave it to the police,” Malcolm answered.  
Dani shook her head, “Not exactly, come on,” she grabbed Malcolm’s arm and pulled him out of the living room, down the front stairs and across the street to the neighbor who had been raking his leaves the previous morning.  
She rang the familiar looking doorbell with the camera attached and waited, “Mr. Tom, it’s Danielle.”  
Malcolm listened as the door unlocked and the man from the previous day peeked out, “Mr. Tom, I need to know if your doorbell picked up anything last night across the street?”  
The short, brown skinned man eyed Dani’s face and then looked suspiciously at Malcolm. “The people who came to my mother’s house last night did this, Mr. Tom can we please see if your camera picked up anything?” Dani begged.  
The old man opened the door, “I knew something happened because of all the police craziness today and then I looked at my camera, I didn’t get much Danielle—sorry to say.”  
“Can we take a look, we may notice something,” Malcolm spoke up.  
Tom got his cell phone, “The grandkids got that new spiffy phone for me, I can do a lot on it.” Tom handed Malcolm the cell and immediately Malcolm went to the doorbell app, “Dani, you left the station at about 7 last night, which means you probably got here at around 7:45. Let’s see at about 7:15 or so if we can get anything,” Malcolm pressed the button and a video came into view. Someone walking their dog down the street and then a black SUV slowly coming up the block and passing Tom’s house before backing up and parking. One man emerged; his face was partially obstructed by the darkness. Malcolm screenshotted the picture and then went to the next video at 7:42. It was Dani, pulling in behind the black SUV, hopping out and going up the stairs.  
“I think we may have the license plate of that SUV, thank you Mr. Tom,” Malcolm stated.  
“We have to go to the station and get that license plate ran,” Dani headed towards the door, “Thank you Mr. Tom!” she called.  
The old man grabbed Malcolm’s arm, “Whomever hurt Danielle and Lena needs to pay.”  
“They will,” Malcolm assured him before following Dani out.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Malcolm could barely keep up with Dani as they entered the police station and rushed towards Gil’s office. He wanted to warn Gil, but hadn’t received any responses to his texts. As they walked the aisles, Dani got looks from the officers as they entered Gil’s office. When they reached the door, they found Gil standing with JT and a man in dress shirt and slacks. “Dani, Bright?” Gil stated looking at Malcolm for an explanation.  
“I texted you,” Malcolm said with wide eyes.  
“We found the license plate of the men who took my mom,” Dani handed Gil her phone.  
“That’s good, we actually picked up a license plate using one of the street cameras,” Gil stated.  
“Ok and you ran it and what did you find, did you find the men who took my mom?” Dani asked.  
“Dani, you may want to take a seat,” Gil responded.  
Dani looked from Gil to JT to the man standing in the room with an unreadable expression, “Umm, what’s going on?”  
“Dani, this is Mauricio Verda…”  
Dani looked over at the man in the room and she remembered the name, “From the Organized Crime unit?” she asked confused, “what does he have to do with my mom? She has nothing to do with organized crime.”  
“Dani, take a seat,” Gil stated calmly.  
“I don’t want a seat Gil!” Dani shrieked, “I want to know who the men are who took my mom?”  
Mauricio spoke up for the first time since Dani and Malcolm entered the room, “The SUV that was in front of your mother’s home at the time of the abduction and your assault is registered to Anthony Mancini.”  
“Oook, what connection would my mother have to him? He’s a racketeer, not to mention a murderer and everything in between. What could she have possibly done to get on his radar?”  
“Dani, take a seat,” Gil stated again as JT gestured to the chair in front of her.  
Malcolm moved closer to Dani, “Maybe you should take a seat, Dani,” he coaxed her.  
Dani took a seat slowly and focused on Mauricio, “Your mother doesn’t have a business relationship with Anthony Mancini, from our intel it’s a personal one.”  
Malcolm’s eyes shifted to Dani sitting down. He watched her eyes narrow and her fingers slowly curl into a fist. She was about to go on a strong defense of her mother—she didn’t believe what she heard, Dani chuckled humorlessly, “A personal relation…my mother would never have a personal relationship with someone like Mancini, my mother is a good person who would never get caught up with someone in the mob.”  
Mauricio looked at Gil, who nodded and then he continued, “The personal relationship that I am speaking of is a familial one. We reached out to some contacts in the Bureau, your mother’s name is not Selena Powell. It’s actually Antonia Mancini, Anthony Mancini’s youngest daughter.”  
All eyes went to Dani, who stood up immediately, “What are you talking about!” she exploded looking from Mauricio to Gil to JT, “my mother doesn’t have some secret life that she’s been hiding. She’s from Boston. She came to NY for school, she dropped out when she met my father and they got married. She had me! I don’t know where you are getting your information or why they would say anything like this, but they’re wrong.”  
“Dani…” Gil began, but she backed away from him.  
“No!” she held up her hand, “No. My mother is not some daughter of some mob boss. If she was some kind of mob princess, why wouldn’t that come out when I went through my background check? How was that overlooked?”  
Mauricio exchanged a look with Gil before taking a deep breath, “Your mother has been living her life as Selena for years, that is true—but she is Antonia Mancini and perhaps, her identity was known and someone decided that it was beneficial to overlook that factor in your hiring,” Mauricio replied calmly opening a file on the table and glancing at it. Dani refused to look at it, but Malcolm stepped forward and studied the picture. It was a family picture, it looked pretty old, but it was clear. Seated next to Anthony Mancini was the woman he’d met the day before. Of course, she looked much younger—but the eyes were unmistakable. He looked over at Dani, who seemed as if she would vomit at any moment.  
“Anthony Mancini inherited the Cadenza territory almost 15 years ago. He’s been on the radar of the Bureau for at least 17 of them and we have been monitoring some activity over the last 3 years here.”  
Malcolm watched as Dani continued to shake her head, but he could see that her defensive stance was slowly turning into a defeated one, “we were able to get this picture, that is your mother correct?”  
Dani stared at the picture as Malcolm sat it down in front of her.  
“Your mother’s abduction, if we can still consider it that…” Mauricio began.  
“Hey how about you stop for a minute,” Malcolm spoke up annoyed, “clearly it was some type of abduction, the house was turned upside down—someone gave Detective Powell a concussion.”  
Dani listened to Malcolm, Gil and JT argue back and forth with Mauricio who appeared to believe that this was a family dispute over whatever the Mancinis argued about. She sat curling and uncurling her fingers as she stared down at the picture of her mother surrounded by the Mancini family.  
Every NYPD cop had been briefed on the Mancini Crime Family. Recently, their influence had spread to New York City from Boston. Her mother being a part of that family and keeping it a secret didn’t make sense to her.  
“Mauricio, someone attacked my detective and her mother was violently taken from home. Whatever relationship you presume between her and her abductors doesn’t change the fact that we have a woman who was forcefully removed from her residence and hasn’t been heard from for hours!” Gil debated.  
Dani took multiple deep breaths while staring down at the picture. The woman seated next to Anthony Mancini had her mother’s smile and she touched it lightly.  
“We need to find out where Lena is,” JT spoke up.  
Dani stood up abruptly from the table, “I…I…need to go,” she mumbled before rushing out of the office.  
Malcolm looked over at Gil who nodded his way and followed closely behind her. He had to go into a slight jog to keep up with Dani as she exited the police station and stood outside. She was shivering a little as she lifted her arm to hail a cab.  
“Dani…wait…Dani,” Malcolm rushed up next to her, “come back, we need to talk about this and figure out…”  
“Figure out what!” she turned to him, “did you hear him in there, he said my mom’s been lying about her entire life for years! He sounded as if she orchestrated this entire thing because she’s part of that family. He doesn’t believe the abduction.”  
“Dani, everyone who cares about you knows that your mother was abducted—whether it be by her family or not,” Malcolm stated calmly.  
“It’s all been a lie,” Dani stated quietly staring out at the empty street, “my mom lied about who she was for years.”  
Malcolm stood beside her, “She had to have a good reason.”  
Dani glanced over at him and nodded slowly, “I just want to go home, I need to just…I need to get out of here,” she breathed out, “thank you Bright,” she raised her arm again as a cab stopped in front of them. Malcolm opened his mouth to say more—tell her that he would go home with her, watch over her—but he stopped himself. She needed some distance and he would give that to her.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

She was drained. Every single part of her body felt as if it been body slammed into the ground multiple times. She looked like hell and she felt like hell. Dani’s mind wouldn’t stop racing since the moment she woke up in the hospital. She fished her keys out of her pocket and stuck the key into the lock only for the door to open on its own. Her hand instinctually went to her side, but her weapon was not on her hip. She’d left it home earlier by mistake after Malcolm gave it back to her.  
“Well this shitty day continues,” she mumbled slowly opening the door further to reveal a trashed apartment. She was met with silence and there was no indication that the assailant was still inside. She stood in the doorway staring at her favorite throw pillows torn apart and her glass vases shattered.  
All Dani could do was stare at the disaster of her apartment until the ringing in her pocket drew her attention away, on auto-pilot she reached for her phone and noticed it was an ‘Unknown Number’, pressing the green button, she lifted the phone to her ear, “Hello.”  
“Dani…oh my god...it’s me.”  
Dani held onto her phone tightly as tears formed, “Mommy?” she sniffed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget to show your love/like for this creation.


	3. You Need Back Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani has a lead on what happened to her mother and the reason behind it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for the kudos and comments. It is always scary venturing into a new shipperdom and writing fan fiction for it. I appreciate your support as I delve further into the #Brightwell relationship.

“Dani, I don’t have long to talk. Baby, are you ok?” Lena breathed out in a low, rushed voice as if she was afraid that someone could be listening to her every word.

Gripping the phone, Dani closed her eyes and managed to squeeze out, “No, I’m not ok.”

Lena breathed a sigh of relief, “When Mikey hit you, I ran to you but…”

Not allowing her mother to finish, Dani began speaking, “I have a concussion, my head hurts like hell and I have a sprain to my wrist from my fall…where are you mom? Who are the people who took you…I don’t understand any of this,” Dani replied exasperated looking around at her apartment, “and my apartment has been trashed…what is going on? Oh and apparently, everyone knows who you _really_ are but me.”

Dani heard her mother’s gasp on the other end of the phone, “Dani, I don’t have time to explain. Just know that I am fine and I need you to just…let things be. Tell your friends at the station that I’m fine.”

Staring down at her phone, Dani couldn’t believe a word she was hearing as she placed it up to her ear again, “Mom, two men came into your house and kidnapped you and basically pistol whipped me and you say that you’re fine? I know that you are Antonia Mancini, whatever that means and I know that something is definitely going on.”

“Dani, I have to go but please check something…please make sure that the package you mailed was delivered to its destination. It’s important. I will check in with you in a couple of days,” Lena rushed off the phone ending the call before Dani could say another word.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Malcolm’s eyes scanned the crime scene photos from Lena’s house after shedding his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. He hadn’t been home, since the small reprieve Gil made him take while Dani was asleep in the hospital the previous night. Earlier that evening, Dani’s behavior unsettled him and he had to help her in the only way he truly could—figuring out what the hell was going with her mother and the Mancinis.

Glancing over at the file on the Mancini family, he breathed deeply opening it up once again, “Plan on going home any time soon?” Gil entered the conference with a cup of black coffee for him and tea for Malcolm.

“There’s so many factors at play here,” Malcolm’s eyes skimmed the pages, “and none of them are bringing me to any logical conclusions,” he looked up at Gil, “the house was ransacked, Dani was knocked out and every knocked over piece of furniture in that house shows that her mother didn’t go willingly.”

“Well her daughter was unconscious and bleeding on the floor, I don’t know much about Dani’s mom—but I doubt she wanted to leave her side,” Gil leaned on the table.

Malcolm nodded, “Yes, but did Dani come before or after the house was totally turned upside down? And the fact that people associated with her mother’s family were the ones who did it all makes me feel like something is missing. Why would the Mancini family take an interest in their long-lost daughter now? Why would they take her?”

“All good questions with no good answers,” Gil responded, “how is our girl doing?”

Malcolm sat back for a few moments rubbing his hands over his face, “From what I can tell, she’s angry, hurt, confused…”

“And you?”

“Me?” Malcolm blinked.

“Yes, you. I’ve been watching you two together. I can see the way you look at her, the way you track her every movement—the way you followed after her tonight, what’s going on there?”

“We’re friends and I’m concerned,” Malcolm shrugged uncomfortably, “she’s been there for me when I needed her and I’m just trying to be there for her,” he chuckled looking up at Gil with a self-deprecating smile, “trying to be the not too overbearing or overeager friend.”

“And its driving you crazy, I bet.”

Malcolm nodded slowly. Ever since he came to work for Gil and his squad, he felt something with Dani. It was subtle at first. She was a friend, _a close friend_ , who he had let in more than others. The way she smiled at him when he went off on his tangents or did his usual Malcolm Bright machinations. How she never judged him about his nighttime routine and how she instantly felt a need to make him feel—normal. They had a connection. A connection that he hadn’t necessarily shared with Eve or anyone else in a very long time. His friend was in turmoil and he had to help her.

“Gil, do you think that Lena’s connection to the Mancinis may have something to do with her outburst around Dani father’s death?”

Shaking his head, Gil stood up from his place on the table, “We’re not going down that road. There’s too much going on right now to bring up that hurt. Dani is processing everything with her mother and we still have no idea where Lena is, we can’t bring her father’s murder into the middle of it. Not right now, Kid.”

Biting his lip, Malcolm stood up putting on his jacket, “I’ll drop it.”

“Be a friend,” Gil met Malcolm’s eyes and then continued, “and _just_ a friend.”

The uncomfortableness that Malcolm felt lurking under the surface bubbled up and his eyes bugged out, “Gillll,” Malcolm started to button his jacket.

Gil held up his hands in defense, “Look, I get it you two are friends, this is a very sensitive time and Dani is…”

“Gil, I _am_ her friend. Nothing more and I don’t want to be anything more,” Malcolm answered quickly, “besides, Dani doesn’t see me as anything but a friend as well.”

“Ok, let’s keep it that way,” Gil smirked as he and Malcolm walked out of the office.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Later that evening, Dani found herself sitting on the plush white carpet in the middle of her living room still in disarray staring at the receipt from the package she mailed. The address and tracking number stared back at her. None of this made any sense, she thought! Everything about her life was meant to be questioned. Her mother was part of one of the most dangerous families on the eastern seaboard and she never told anyone. She changed her name, started a family and never looked back—until it came knocking at her front, giving her daughter a concussion and abducting her. The tears came and Dani wiped them using the back of her hand. Her migraine had started to subside after taking her ibuprofen, but her stomach was in knots. How much of her life had been a lie?

Standing up from the floor clutching the receipt, she grabbed her laptop sitting down on the floor and located the package tracking website. Holding the receipt in her hand, she glanced down at the destination address and entered it. After a few moments, the website brought back the results—the package was due to be delivered to the address in San Diego in the afternoon the next day.

The address nor the person’s name were recognizable to her. Dani slowly looked around her trashed apartment and then back at the receipt, she understood—her mother’s house was turned upside down because the men were looking for something besides her mother. Her apartment was the next logical place because they didn’t find what they were looking for. The package that she mailed. That was what they wanted. The thought washed over her like an epiphany. 

She grabbed her cell from the floor and pressed the familiar name, “Please, please, please pick up,” she mumbled as the phone rang on the other end and as if her pleas were heard, she heard someone answer on the other end.

“Dani, hey…what’s wrong?” Malcolm asked on full alert.

She opened her mouth and then closed it. She wasn’t sure why she called him, but then she realized—he was the only one she could call and talk to, “I’m sorry, I know it’s late,” she apologized quickly.

“Dani, you know I don’t sleep,” Malcolm answered her, “do you need something?”

Taking a deep breath, she spoke, “Umm…yes…can you come over to my apartment, I will understand if you can’t. I get it, but I need to talk to you…I need to run something by you and honestly, you are the only one I can talk to right now and…” she rambled.

“Dani, I will be there. Give me 20 minutes,” Malcolm stated.

“Thank you,” Dani breathed out relieved.

Twenty minutes later, Dani heard a light rap on her door. Rising from the floor, she headed over taking a moment to look through the peephole to Malcolm standing outside. For the first time that day, she let out a smile as a part of her body relaxed and she opened the door. Malcolm smiled back at her entering the apartment and then his smile faltered as soon as he saw the condition of it. The pristine apartment that he had visited earlier that day was turned upside down, “Dani, what happened?” he turned around to meet her eyes.

She eyed his attire, “Is that what you wear at 2 in the morning,” she responded looking at his tailored slacks and button-down shirt completing ignoring his question.

Malcolm looked down at his pants, “I hadn’t exactly settled down for bed.”

She smiled and it was the first smile that Malcolm saw from her since this occurred. Her smile was beautiful, but then he remembered, “Dani, what happened to your apartment and why didn’t you call this in?”

She looked around with a deep breath, “The people who took my mom, the Mancinis did it. I’m sure of it.”

Malcolm looked around, in disbelief. He didn’t expect this from Dani, “Ook, but why didn’t you call this in?”

“You’re rubbing off on me?” she smirked.

“Dani…”

She rolled her eyes, “Because I was pre-occupied and I’m not sure I want the uniforms here…not right now.”

“Hey,” Malcolm reached out touching her arm, “did something else happen?”

Dani exhaled, “She called me.”

“Who…your mother?”

Dani nodded heading over to the kitchen pulling tea bags out of her cabinet, “She called me telling me to get everyone to back off and that she was fine.”

“Was that all she said?”

“She asked me did I mail the package she gave me yesterday and I am pretty sure that the people who took her and came here to my apartment were looking for whatever is in that package.”

Malcolm nodded, “Do you know what was in it?”

“No.”

“Ok, so do you know who it was being mailed to.”

Dani showed him the receipt, “I don’t recognize the name or the address, but…”

Malcolm glanced from her to the receipt, “But what?”

Dani opened her mouth and then closed it.

“Dani,” Malcolm coaxed her.

“I want to go to San Diego and see who I sent the package to. Maybe I can find out what’s in it and maybe, if I do—it can help with getting my mom back or at the very least, help with finding out where she is.”

“And you want to do all of this without Gil or JT knowing,” Malcolm filled in.

Dani nodded apprehensively sticking her hands in her jeans, “It’s not that I don’t want to let them in, I just know that they would try to stop me or want to wait for other people to investigate this and I don’t want to do that. I don’t _trust_ the department to do this. The department knew who my mother was and kept it private because they wanted to use me as a pawn in a potential investigation into a family that I never knew existed. I can’t trust them with this and honestly, I need to figure it out myself.”

“Is this why you called me over, so I would know where you were if you disappeared for a few days?” Malcolm asked.

Dani nodded, “Yes and…I guess, I just wanted to have someone who understands why I need to do this. Why I need to be the one to put the pieces together to get my mom back.”

Malcolm stared at his partner. He had never seen Dani so exposed, not even when she told him about her previous addiction. He could see the slight tremble in her hand, the way she wouldn’t meet his gaze fully and it scared him, “I get it,” he answered finally.

“Thank you,” she breathed out relieved.

“I get it so much that I’m going with you,” he added.

Her head snapped up, “What?”

“Dani, this is serious and if it’s one thing I learned through all of my ‘going off with no back up’ adventures is that you always take back up and I’m going to be your back up,” Malcolm smiled at her gently.

Dani shook her head, “Bright, you can’t disappear for days without Gil becoming suspicious. I’m on leave, of course…but you…”

“I’m a consultant I work when I want to. Dani, I know that it takes time for the human brain to process things—but this is serious. The Mancini family wants something and you may know where that something is. You need someone with you.”

Dani looked down at the floor and then at Malcolm with a half-smile, “And that someone is you?”

“That someone is me,” Malcolm returned her smile.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

“Let me get this straight, you just so happen to decide to finally take the vacation that I’ve pushed you to take now?” Gil asked the following morning.

Malcolm placed a shirt in his suitcase while holding the phone, “Yes, great idea, right?” he asked cheerfully, “I’m sure when you break the news to my mother, she’ll be thrilled.”

“And where are you going?” Gil asked as Malcolm continued to pack.

“California. You know, sun and sand, the Hollywood sign, maybe I will check out one of those late-night talk shows,” Malcolm continued.

“Uh, huh.”

“It will be good for me, you know. After all that happened over the past year, getting away is the best thing for me.”

Malcolm heard Gil make a sound that demonstrated he didn’t believe this story for one second, “And I assume you told Dani about this?”

“Well of course, she thinks it’s a great idea too. She told me she’s taking a few days to digest everything that happened and try to see if she can remember anything else from that night.”

“Uh, huh,” Gil answered, “well I hope you have a good trip.”

“Thanks, I will try.”

“And just in case you speak to Dani because she’s not answering anyone’s phone calls, tell her that me and JT are still working on the case and we won’t stop,” Gil replied.

“I will tell her that, if I get a chance to speak to her,” Malcolm paused as his doorbell rang.

“Good,” Gil ended the call.

Malcolm zipped up his suitcase, picking it up and pausing in front of Sunshine, his parakeet’s cage. He lightly allowed her to nibble his fingers for a few moments, “I will be back soon and your Auntie Ainsley will come by to feed you,” Malcolm cooed before picking up his bag and heading down the stairs to Dani outside waiting for him. When he saw her, it was the second time that she had stopped him dead in his tracks. The first time, she emerged from the fitting room at that boutique dressed in the burgundy evening gown for their undercover mission and this time, she was standing in front of him in jeans, a white t-shirt and leather jacket—but her hair was straight. Different than her usual curls and it was all moved to one side to somewhat camouflage her bruises that looked better, but were still faint, even with the make-up she’d put on top of them.

“Hey,” she greeted him, self-consciously bringing her hair closer to her face.

“Your hair,” he managed to squeeze out.

“Yeah, I had to do some creative styling. I didn’t want people to stare during flight or even worse, arrest _you_ ,” she added.

“Right,” Malcolm nodded as he loaded his suitcase in the sedan that Dani ordered to take them to the airport.

An hour later, they found themselves seated next to each other in first class headed towards San Diego, “Malcolm, the upgrades to first class are a bit much. I bought us coach tickets and you said, you would find the hotel only,” Dani whispered leaning over.

Plucking one of the magazines from the holder in front of him, Malcolm shrugged, “I thought we could use the extra space and at least some privacy.”

Dani sat back.

“How did you sleep last night?” he asked turning a page in the magazine.

She thought back to the previous night spent cleaning up her apartment, looking at pictures of her parents and googling everything about the Mancinis and coming up mostly empty besides the requisite suspected racketeering and murder rumors, “Sleep? What’s that?” Dani asked.

Malcolm turned to her, “Right. Well you can feel free to get some sleep now, we have a long flight ahead of us.”

Dani smiled, “Thank you for coming with me. I’m not sure what will find out, but I think this is the only way to find out what happened to my mom or where she is.”

“It’s the least I can do, Dani,” he turned to meet her eyes, “you’ve been a support for me since that night in the station when I had that night terror. You haven’t judged me, hell even when I clearly lied to you, you forgave me. You’re my friend. One of the few people in this world that I trust, how could I not repay you? How could I not help you right now?”

Dani studied the sincerity in Malcolm’s eyes. He meant what he said to her and maybe it was inappropriate and it was a weird time, but at that moment—the crush that she harbored for him took full flight. Yes, he was a tad out there, with Daddy issues along with very little impulse control, but he was kind and understanding and he would go the extra mile. She smiled at him, “I appreciate it because honestly, I didn’t think I could do this alone. I don’t know who has the package or what it is or why my mom thought it she could trust this person who she sent it to. What do you think could be inside of it?”

“Well with the way they tore your mother’s house apart and your apartment apart, that tells me that they are either motivated by money or covering up some type of crime that your mother may know about. From the file, it looks like your mother left Boston when she was 18 or so and I have to wonder how much would the daughter of a not yet crime boss, really know? Has she been back to Boston, do you know?”

“No, she always said that her parents died when she was 17 and that’s why she left Boston so after turning 18,” Dani answered thinking back to her mother’s myriad of lies, “and she never wanted to go back, but what do I know,” she threw up her hands exasperated, “she didn’t even tell me or anyone else her real name.”

“She had to have a good reason, maybe she was protecting you and your dad from her past.”

“I understand how the last name Mancini may not be the most attractive at this point,” Dani replied thoughtfully. 

“And maybe carrying the weight of that name was just too much for her?” Malcolm suggested.

Dani nodded understanding that he wasn’t just talking about her mother anymore.

About two hours into the five-hour flight, Malcolm sat thumbing through the latest flight magazine contemplating whether he needed a lazy boy which massaged every part of his body from his head to his toes when he felt Dani bump him. Glancing over, he realized that she was fast asleep and her head had found his shoulder. He started to move her gently back to an upright position, but he also caught a whiff of her shampoo which was a light vanilla jasmine scent and instantly he was fixated on her. For the first time over the past couple of days, she looked at peace. Her face was absent any stress or fear or anger. She’s _beautiful_ , Malcolm thought to himself. How had he not seen it before? Sure, he thought Dani was cute and even moreso, when he was on those hallucinogen drugs but looking down at her at this moment—he realized she was downright gorgeous and any man who had the privilege of being near her every day should actually appreciate it. 

He hadn’t exactly been able to understand his feelings for Dani. He welcomed her friendship hungrily because she was someone who understood who or at least, didn’t find a reason to make fun of him for being so…him. They had somewhat distanced themselves from each other during his relationship with Eve and he didn’t understand why at the time, but looking down at her at this moment, he understood. It was probably subconscious. They didn’t want things to be weird. She didn’t want to hear about what he did with Eve and he felt uncomfortable telling her. But that was all months ago and since then, he and Dani spent hours building up their friendship and he would do anything to make sure it continued to build. He smiled looking down at Dani’s head resting on his shoulder, then rested his own head back on the headrest as he continued to look through the magazine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please show your love/like for this chapter by leaving a kudos, comment or just bookmarking my little creation.


	4. Restraints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Malcolm arrive in San Diego. Some feelings are realized...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I wanted to thank you all for your continued support! I really appreciate it!

Whatever peace and serenity Malcolm observed from Dani on the flight, went right out of the window as soon as they arrived in San Diego. It was as if she retreated into herself as they walked through baggage claim and outside to a rental car waiting for them. Climbing into the driver seat and fiddling with her seatbelt for a few moments, until Malcolm helped her due to her wrapped wrist all without words freaked him out a little. For a person who thrived on conversation with people, Dani’s silence worried him to say the least, “Can you put in the address to the hotel where you reserved our rooms?” Dani asked sliding on her large sunglasses and pulling out of their parking space.  
“Well…” Malcolm frowned a little, “I didn’t exactly book us hotel rooms.”  
Dani looked over and over her glasses prompting him to continue.  
Malcolm shifted uncomfortably in his seat fastening his seatbelt, “Well, I didn’t think a hotel would give us…I mean…me the privacy that I need at night, you know with the night terrors and the restraints…you know.”  
Dani’s glare relaxed and she nodded, “Right, right, I’m sorry. I get it. Wait…you brought the restraints with you?”  
“Well the ones that I use when I travel,” Malcolm pressed numbers into the navigation system.  
“Hmm,” Dani replied thoughtfully.  
“What?” he turned to her.  
Smirking, Dani answered, “That would explain why the TSA Agent gave me that look when our bags went through the scanner.”  
“What look?” Malcolm glanced over.  
“Well it was a weird smile, maybe he thought I was a Dom or something and you are my…”  
“Sub?” Malcolm raised an amused eyebrow, “that’s an interesting take.”  
“Indeed. Anyway, so where are we staying?” Dani asked.  
“I found a beach house, it has privacy and it’s not far from the address that you sent the package to.”  
“Ok, that works. I don’t think we will be here long and let’s hope that we find out what my mother sent and how it fits into this mess with the Mancinis,” Dani pulled onto the highway.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Twenty minutes later, they reached the beach house that Malcolm reserved , which happened to be at least 100 feet from the ocean and the fact that the sun shone brightly made him feel freer for some reason. Yes, he and Dani were here on a mission—but he felt like some of the chains from New York City and his family were left there. He watched Dani. Her body language told him that she was hopeful that when they tracked down the person who her mother sent the package to, they would spill everything—Malcolm was not as optimistic. The package, this person, her mother and her mother’s family were intertwined and he didn’t see an easy fix for any of it.  
While Dani unpacked, Malcolm stood on the deck of the beach house, as the sun beat down on his face and he embraced it for a few moments. He wasn’t too crazy about vacations and this wasn’t one, but the sun and the ocean were having an effect on him.  
It was good that he was looking out at a slight paradise, because the next task on his list was to call his mother. She’d called him at least six times during the flight, so he assumed that Gil had broken the news to her; probably during one of their dates. Malcolm shuddered at the mere thought of Gil and his mother on dates, kissing and doing other things. He loved his mother and he loved Gil, but he didn’t necessarily love the thought of them as a couple. He guessed it was inevitable though. Jessica more than likely saw Gil as a hero in a way—the person who stopped his father’s reign of terror. It was natural and almost human nature for them to gravitate towards each other and Malcolm would set aside the creepy factor and still support it.  
“Malcolm,” Jessica answered on the first ring singing his name, “well are you safe and sound in San Diego?”  
“Yes Mother, I’m here and I’m safe,” Malcolm gently closed the sliding door to the deck.  
She sighed, “Imagine my surprise when after a few days of me calling you with no return calls, Gil tells me that you are heading on vacation to San Diego for some rest and relaxation,” Jessica continued, “I think it’s a wonderful idea!”  
“Well thank you, once in awhile I have them.”  
“Yes and are you alone on this vacation?” Jessica prodded in a way that signaled that she already knew the answer or thought she knew the answer.  
“Actually no,” Malcolm answered, “I’m here with a friend.”  
Jessica gasped, “A friend! Well isn’t that nice, who is this friend? Do I know her? Where is she from?”  
“Mother, I will be home in a few days.”  
“I want to meet this friend, Malcolm. I will plan a dinner,” Jessica continued.  
“Yes…well…I will think about it, just know that I am safe. I will speak to you later,” Malcolm ended the call quickly before his mother could say another word. Looking out at the waves crashing against the sand, Malcolm smiled a little.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Dani finished placing her toiletries on the dresser in one of the many bedrooms in the beach house. When she drove into the driveway, she felt overwhelmed but not surprised. Malcolm Bright or rather, when he spent exuberant amounts of money, she found him to be Malcolm Whitly, had no chill. The beach house was immaculate. Every window in the living room had a view of the beach, the kitchen was state of the art, the furniture looked to be styled by West Elm and her bedroom had a balcony overlooking the ocean below. They were here for one of the most miserable reasons, but Malcolm managed to make the best of it.  
Placing her suitcase under the bed, her cell phone vibrated in her back pocket. Retrieving it, she saw it again, ‘Unknown Number’, bracing herself, she answered, “Hello.”  
“Danielle,” Lena’s voice came through clear as day slamming Dani back to reality for a moment.  
“Mom.”  
“I thought I asked you to get your friends to back off,” she replied in a hushed voice.  
Dani closed her eyes, “Mom, I can’t stop them. They know the Mancinis abducted you…”  
“I left willingly,” she interrupted.  
“Mom, the house was turned upside down and I know that you didn’t leave willingly, you would not have left me lying on the floor like that.”  
She heard her mother sniffle, “Danielle, there is a lot going on that you don’t know about.”  
“You mean the fact that you changed your name, created a new life and turned your back on the old one? I’m definitely learning all about that,” Dani snapped.  
Lena rushed to respond, “You don’t understand and I need you to just leave things alone. I don’t want anything else to happen to you, I’ve done so much to protect you.”  
“Protect me would have been telling me the truth about you and where you come from…hell…where I come from,” Dani argued.  
“Danielle…”  
“Mom, someone is loo…”  
“I have to go,” Lena ended the call abruptly as Dani stared down at the phone fighting every inclination to throw it into one of the pale pink painted walls. She screamed out loudly causing Malcolm to burst into the room moments later, “Dani what’s wrong?” he asked looking around wildly.  
“My mom called; she keeps telling me to tell the police to stop looking into her kidnapping. She’s so cryptic and its driving me crazy!” she ran her hands through her hair, “I don’t know why I’m even doing this. Wherever she is, she appears to be fine. I don’t know. It’s her family, I don’t know them—maybe this is how they show love!”  
“Dani…”  
“This is crazy, you know. A couple of days ago, it was all about the job. The next case. A shitty date! That’s it and now, I’m dealing with my mom lying about everything, being wherever with people I don’t know and here I am chasing down a package that may have something stupid in it like a shirt or some jewelry with someone I don’t even know!” she exploded, “what am I doing?”  
Malcolm walked closer to her, “Calm down.”  
“I can’t calm down. My life was…it wasn’t like this and suddenly, I feel like whatever control I had over it…is gone,” Dani freaked out, “this is just…it’s a lot.”  
Malcolm placed his hands gently on her arms to calm her, “Dani, it’s going to be ok. The fact that your mother is calling you means that on some level she’s safe and that whatever is going on with her and the Mancinis is on pause. We will find out what she sent in that package and why it was sent to this person. Then we will figure out how to get your mom back or at least find out where she is. We are going to figure this out Dani, just like we figure out every other case.”  
“You are usually the one that figures out the cases,” Dani mumbled.  
Malcolm smiled softly, “With your help. I don’t think I would have come this far with Gil’s team without you. The first night you met me, when I had that night terror and nearly fought the entire precinct, you grabbed me, held me and helped me get through it. You stopped an army of police officers from shooting me and you barely knew me. Dani, it’s ok to feel like things are out of control, but we are going to figure it out.”  
“Thank you,” she answered him quietly.  
The air shifted in the room between them as Malcolm’s hands left Dani’s arms and went down to her hands holding them for a brief period. Her brown eyes looking into his greenish blue ones. It was if they were playing a game as to who would look away first and neither wanted to lose, “Umm…I guess…we should get something to eat. I think the morning may be the best time to find the address that the package was sent to,” Dani moved away slowly from him.  
“Yeah, that may be best. I’m not hungry but…  
“But you’re going to eat. You rented this place and I’m going to treat you to dinner.”  
“You don’t have to.”  
A smile spread across her face, “I do,” she answered, “you didn’t have to come here with me.”  
“But you also know that I don’t eat, all of the meds and my stomach and…”  
“And I don’t care, you are going to eat something, Bright. So get ready and we will head out.”  
Malcolm stared at Dani for a few moments. Her bossiness was nice—he liked it, “Ok, give me a few minutes.”  
Dani smiled as he walked out of the room leaving her to finish setting up her toiletries.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

An hour later, Malcolm and Dani arrived at Tres Amigas, a Mexican restaurant, not far from the beach house. The drive to the restaurant was fairly quiet and it gave Malcolm time to think. It seemed from the moment he entered Dani mother’s home; he’d been strapped into a roller coaster. The curves and the drops kept coming. He could barely keep track of all of the changes. But with all of the deviations and revelations, one theory became more prevalent. Dani’s mother was tied to a crime family, she married an African American man after running away from said family. One night that man is driving home, gets into a car accident and Lena Powell screams that someone killed him. It became clearer to Malcolm, that maybe Lena’s hysterical rantings as Dani described them weren’t just a result of shock and that Dani’s father’s death was no accident.  
“Malcolm, what looks good to you?” Dani asked breaking his concentration.  
“Dani, you know how I feel about food.”  
“How about a cheese quesadilla, it’s closest thing to the grilled cheese that you love so much,” she read the menu.  
“I guess that’s easy enough.”  
“And margaritas?”  
Malcolm drew his attention from the menu to Dani, “I didn’t think you actually indulged?”  
She shrugged, “I don’t, I’m getting non-alcoholic and you can get alcoholic,” she explained, “you can at least enjoy it and I can pretend. I need to pretend right now.”  
Malcolm nodded as the waiter came over taking their orders and quickly disappearing. They were seated on the deck and the crashing of the waves could be heard faintly over the Latin music playing over the speakers, “So what’s going on in your mind right now?” Malcolm asked breaking the silence between them.  
Dani sat back folding her arms narrowing her eyes with a playful smile, “You tell me what’s going on right now?”  
Malcolm smiled shaking his head, “No…no…I won’t do that.”  
“Go ahead, maybe you can help me make sense of all of this,” she encouraged him gesturing towards him with her hands.  
Malcolm sat back with his finger to his temple and studied Dani for a few moments. His stare was so intense that it made her squirm and wonder had his eyes always been that pretty? “You’re confused. You don’t know if you should be angry, sad or relieved. I can see you anger in the way your left eye twitches every time you mention your mother or you say the name Mancini. You’re angry because you found out that your mother kept a huge secret from you for your entire life and like you said earlier, the NYPD used you as a pawn. I can see your sadness in the way sometimes you lick your lips repeatedly in 60 seconds, it’s a tick that brings you comfort at times. You are sad because you are angry at your mother and you feel like you shouldn’t be. She was abducted from her home and you still don’t know why. You’re starting to wonder if any of this is what it seems. Then finally, you are relieved that she is ok and has been communicating with you and I see that when your eyes brighten at times like this.”  
Dani nodded looking out at the beach, “I keep thinking that if I keep digging, I won’t like what I find but I have to, you know.”  
“Oh I know,” Malcolm answered, “it’s gnawing at you. I get it. Finding out that your mother has an entire family that she never mentioned and that she’s been in hiding opens up a mystery. You’re a detective, you’re naturally curious and the fact that this is a mystery that you’re in the middle of—you can’t help but want to solve it. But Dani, are you ready to find out the truth here?”  
The waiter picked that moment to set their drinks down in front of them and Dani paused from answering Malcolm’s question. She took a sip of her non-alcoholic strawberry margaritas as Malcolm took a sip of his raspberry one, “WOW,” his eyes widened, “that is strong,” he coughed as Dani laughed.  
“Good thing I’m driving,” she covered her mouth to stifle her laughs.  
“Yes, because I may already be drunk,” he blinked a few times.  
Dani laughed for a few moments and then stopped focusing on the straw in her drink, “You asked me if I’m ready to find out the truth. I’m not sure that I am…” she stated lowly, “but I have to. Since I found out my mom’s real name and that she has this previous life that she’s hiding from, I know I need to know the history. I need to know why she ran away.”  
“Do you really want to know about that side of the family, do you want to know about your Mancini side?”  
Dani shook her head, “There is no Mancini side, I’m a Powell and that’s all that matters.”  
“Let’s hope that tomorrow brings us some of the answers that you are looking for,” Malcolm held up his glass as Dani raised hers and they clinked them together.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Opening the door to the beach house, Malcolm tumbled inside with Dani supporting him, “Maybe, I shouldn’t have pressured you to have that 3rd margarita,” she helped him over to the couch barely able to control her amusement.  
Malcolm had been speaking in riddles since they called it a night at dinner and she drove them back to the beach house, now he was talking to her about how he exactly decided a parakeet would be the best pet to have, “So you see, she mainly takes care of herself and she’s the perfect alarm clock and security system,” he finished as Dani deposited him on the couch and he plopped down.  
“I see,” she joined him on the couch partially out of breath and holding onto her wrapped wrist, “should I get you some water.”  
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Malcolm mumbled leaning over onto the couch cushions, “I didn’t mean to drink so much,” he laughed.  
“It’s ok, you’ve had a couple of crazy months. I guess, this is a way for you to let off some steam in different surroundings.”  
Malcolm sat up on the couch staring out at the night sky, “You know, ever since I came back to New York from DC, I rejected going anywhere else. Going away, being away from the police department…not consulting on cases, it scared me a little.”  
“Well you’re still on a case right now, just a different type,” Dani shifted on the couch sitting on her leg and staring over at him, “and I am thankful for your help, I know that you prefer the murder cases—but having you here with me helps. You won’t tell me how stupid I’m being for even coming here.”  
Malcolm gazed over at her, “You’re not stupid Dani, your world was turned upside down. You have to find out why your mother left this life behind and why it caught up to her.”  
Dani nodded concentrating on one of the stray threads protruding from one of the couch pillows, “I don’t know what I will do with whatever I find, but I have to know more than what I know now.”  
Malcolm’s head rested on one of the large couch pillows and he laughed, “I never thought for one second that my first vacation would be with you.”  
Looking over at the profiler who came onto her team, changed everything and became one of her closest friends, “Well, I hope that I am a good vacation partner for you.”  
Malcolm’s warm eyes met hers and the air shifted around them. His stare was penetrating, probing and dare she think it? Sexy. “Dani…” he began reaching out to her, but she instantly got up from the couch creating additional space between them.  
“Do you need me to help you upstairs to your room? Maybe help you with your restraints?” she stuck her hands in her jean pockets.  
Malcolm gave her a small smile, “Yeah, I guess since we have to get up early tomorrow.”  
Dani nodded as she held out her hand, Malcolm hesitated before placing his hand in hers and she felt a warmness spread throughout her body, that she ignored as she led him towards the stairs leading up to the second level of the house. She never looked back as she felt his hand tighten around hers as they stopped at his bedroom door.  
Stepping inside, she observed that he had unpacked completely with his clothes hanging in the closet. Even though they only planned to stay in San Diego for maybe two days, he brought at least 8 sets of clothes to wear. She stood in front of the closet marveling at how neat he was before turning around and catching him removing his polo to reveal a white tank and unbuckling his pants to throw on some grey sweat pants, turning around she waited for a few beats. Malcolm’s suits really camouflaged the cuts in his arm and the definition in his shoulders. She needed to get out of this bedroom as soon as possible, with everything she had going on, now wasn’t the time to complicate things with Malcolm Bright.  
“So here they are!” Malcolm threw his restraints in the middle of the bed. She eyed the leather straps and then glanced up at him. Despite his drunken nature, Malcolm started fastening one of the restraints to the frame of the bed and she quickly grabbed one of the other restraints and started fastening it to the other side of the frame.  
While she was fastening the restraint, she felt the bed dip and looked up to see Malcolm in the middle lying spread eagle with his eyes closed, “Well, I guess I better hurry,” she mumbled taking his wrist and fastening the leather restraint. To a newcomer’s eye, they would definitely see this as the beginning of some kind of kink scene. Dani chuckled at the thought of JT seeing any of this. Hell, she surprised herself the first time she took Malcolm home and was faced with his bedtime routine. Her face was calm, but she was screaming inside. Watching a man strap himself down to the bed and not for any BDSM activities was wild and a little too intrusive for her tastes. She didn’t bet on this when Gil enlisted her to take him home.  
“There!” she stood up from beside the bed and looked down at him as she heard him softly breathing, “and on that note, I’m going to go…”  
“Dani?” Malcolm said with his eyes closed stopping her.  
“Yes Malcolm?” she asked.  
“Thank you for being my friend,” he said wistfully.  
Dani smiled, “Thank you for being mine,” she turned out the light before leaving Malcolm’s room.  
Entering her bedroom, she closed the door behind her. Her mind raced. Two times that evening, she swore that Malcolm was going to confess something that she wasn’t prepared to hear at that moment. She barely recognized her life at this point, but hopefully she’ll get some answers about exactly what her mother left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...how long will these two dance around their feelings? Please show your support for this little work.


	5. Is It Just My Imagination?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Malcolm track down the person who may have the key to finding Selena. With one mystery solved, many more arise...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for continuing to read my little work. It has really helped during this Corona Lockdown.

The sunlight along with the oceanic salt air drifted into Malcolm’s room gently coaxing him from one of his rather tame nightmares. Sitting at a table matching wit with his father in his room at Claremont. Sitting straight up in the center of the strange bed, he blinked for a few moments taking in his surroundings, “Right, the beach house,” he mumbled, leaning over and untying his left restraint. He turned to his right and then he remembered…Dani tied this one. He could see her face as she tied it for him the night before with a slight smirk at how ridiculous it still was.

Sliding out of bed, he stretched and headed towards the bathroom attached to his bedroom. After showering, he dressed in t-shirt and sweatpants heading out to the deck to get some yoga done before his day officially started.

Sliding patio doors open, he watched the sun rising over the ocean. Taking the sunrise in for a few moments, he looked down at the sand and noticed that there was someone sitting about 100 feet away from the house on the sand. He could see her hair flowing gently in the wind. “She probably wants to be alone,” he whispered, “but then again, I _am_ here,” he mumbled, walking down the stairs and heading out towards the sand.

When he reached her, he smiled, “Well, I thought I was the only one who got up with the sun?” Malcolm took a seat next to her drawing his knees to his chest eyeing her.

Dani gave him a slight smile, “Well I would _like_ to sleep more, but my mind won’t allow me to.”

“Well if you need a sleep aid, I have one or two…my mother likes to include them in my monthly packages,” he winked.

She shook her head, “You know…” she looked at the sun rising, “we don’t quite get to see it like this in New York City, it really is beautiful.”

“I used to get up every morning to watch the sun rise over the Potomac…,” Malcolm began as Dani narrowed her eyes at him causing him to chuckle, “Ok, I was already up but I did see the sun rise over the Potomac and it doesn’t compare to this.”

“Do you miss DC? The FBI?” Dani asked.

Malcolm looked out at the ocean, “Sometimes. I felt like I was on my own, truly. In college, my mom still had a grip on me but with the Bureau? I was kind of out of their grip. Only the FBI could build a wall between Jessica Whitly and her son,” he chuckled.

Dani laughed, “Somehow I think you’re right about that,” Dani looked out towards the ocean and Malcolm sat staring out at the horizon.

“Yeah…I think I am too,” he mumbled joining her in watching the sunrise.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

The way she constantly sipped her coffee cup as they made their way towards their destination at every stop light, the way she tapped her fingers rapidly on the steering wheel all were signs. Malcolm watched her every movement and fought the urge to say anything. The closer they got to the address where the package was delivered, the more he thought they were getting deeper into something that could potentially turn into something much bigger than they expected.

Dani turned onto a street with single level homes, with slanted roofs and palm trees. As she slowed down, Malcolm watched her touch her stomach lightly as if to indicate that she felt sick. Parking the car, she turned the car off glancing at the address of the home in front of her, “You ok?” Malcolm asked.

She nodded without another word, opening up her door and stepping outside of the car. Malcolm quickly opened the passenger side down and notice Dani grip her wrist. She was experiencing pain due to her stress. Typical response.

She stood staring up at the large glass door attached to the house where the mysterious package was delivered. “Dani, I can do the talking if you want,” Malcolm glanced over.

She bit her lip for a few moments and then shook her head, “No, no…I can do it,” she replied as the look of confidence spread across her face and Detective Dani Powell appeared. She walked up the pebble walkway towards the front door of the home with Malcolm following behind taking in the neighborhood. Children were playing five doors down in their front yard on their bikes. There were a few older couples speaking to each other on their front patios. There was nothing out of the ordinary in this neighborhood. Seemed like a family like atmosphere.

Dani took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. A few moments drifted by before footsteps could be heard on the other side. Dani braced herself as the door unlocked and a short, older woman with deep olive skin and jet-black hair pulled up into a tight bun stood on the other side as it opened. “Hi…are you Margaret Cilio?” Dani asked stepping forward.

The woman narrowed her eyes, “Who are you?” she answered without confirming.

Dani removed her wallet from her back pocket and displayed her badge, “I’m Dani Powell from the New York Police Department…we are investigating an abduction that occurred in New York City and our investigation has led us to you. May my partner and I come in and have a conversation with you?”

The woman looked from Dani to Malcolm, her lips curled in disgust at Malcolm who gave her, his brightest smile, “No, sorry, I have nothing to say,” she stared to close the door.

“Hey…hey…” Dani quickly stuck her hand in the way, “I think…I think you may know the person who was abducted…Selena Powell?”

Malcolm watched as the woman’s eyes softened and she focused on Dani, “No, sorry…I don’t know a Selena Powell…”

“How about an Antonia Mancini?” Malcolm asked as Dani looked at him with wide eyes.

The woman looked from Malcolm to Dani, “Get in before someone sees you,” she stated quickly as Dani and Malcolm stepped inside. The house was decorated immaculately. Malcolm recognized that much of the furniture was curated by one of his mother’s favorite interior decorators, Laura Zo and she was not cheap, “did Antonia send you?” she asked suspiciously.

Dani looked over at Malcolm, “No, she didn’t send us. We know that she sent you a package. It would have been delivered yesterday. We think the package may have something to do with her abduction, do you have it?”

Margaret walked closer to Dani as if she were memorizing every aspect of her face, “You’re not here with the police, well not officially. You’re related to Antonia, aren’t you?”

Dani shifted on her feet.

“You’re her daughter, you’re her precious girl,” Margaret stated, “and you are…” she turned to Malcolm.

“I am her partner…” he stated as the older woman raised an eyebrow, “her _professional_ partner.”

“If you say so,” Margaret stated gesturing towards her dining room table and chairs. Dani and Malcolm moved with her further into the house, “now why the hell are you here and bringing god knows what to my door? I know for a fact that Antonia would never send you here, so what is going on?”

Dani leaned forward, “How do you know my mother?”

The woman smirked, “I ask the questions, you come to my home…so where is Antonia?”

Dani opened her mouth to retort, but Malcolm rushed to answer, “She was abducted from her home. The suspicion is that someone associated with the Mancinis did it,” as soon as he ended his statement, Margaret’s eyes grew big and she leapt out of her seat.

“What do you mean the Mancinis are involved, who knows that you’re here?” she began to pace.

“Wait…who are you? How do you know my mother?” Dani stood up.

Margaret glared at Dani, “I should have said no when Antonia contacted me, but I could never say no to her.”

“Who are you?”

“I was your mother’s nanny when she was younger. I left the employ of the Mancinis when she turned 16, but still kept in touch with her. There is a complicated past. She contacted me a couple of weeks ago and stated that she needed me. She needed me to safeguard something for her.”

“She had me mail you a package. It was sealed when I mailed it, do you have it?”

“Did the Mancinis take your mother?” Margaret asked.

Dani nodded.

“Is she alive?” Margaret asked seriously not breaking eye contact with Dani. Malcolm watched as Dani swallowed and her eyes filled with tears. Margaret’s question was an invisible sucker punch. A question that managed to shock Dani’s system more than the actual abduction did.

“She’s still alive. She’s been in contact with Dani,” Malcolm stepped in watching Dani try to compose herself out of the corner of his eye, “do you have what she sent you?”

“They must know that she had something valuable to them,” Margaret paced, “and you coming here possibly leading them to me…”

“No one followed us,” Malcolm spoke up, “trust us.”

Margaret pursed her lips, “So what do you want to know?”

Malcolm looked over at Dani nodding towards her as if to say, ‘It’s ok.’ She stood up straighter, “My mother asked me to mail you a package. We think that whatever she mailed you, the people who took her want it. They came to my apartment looking for it…”

“So they came to your mother’s and then to your apartment looking for whatever Antonia sent and you don’t think they followed you here?” Margaret looked from Malcolm to Dani.

Dani shook her head, “We are alone. Do you have the package?”

The older woman rolled her eyes, before walking away from them and heading towards her kitchen. Malcolm and Dani exchanged looks, “Things are going ok?” Malcolm whispered to her.

Dani looked over with a strained smile as Margaret entered the room carrying a box placing it in Dani’s hand, “It’s cold,” Dani remarked.

“The freezer,” Margaret answered sitting down at her dining room table, “and if anyone comes into my home looking for that there box and I have to murder someone, I will come looking for the two of you.”

“Got it,” Dani answered holding the box in her hand.

Margaret looked over at Malcolm for a few moments, “Mr. Fed because you have Fed written all over ya, may I speak to Dani alone. How about you go into my living room and watch The Young and the Restless, tell me what Victor is up to?”

Malcolm said not a word before nodding and leaving Dani in the dining room with Margaret, who gestured to one of the chairs for her to take a seat. Dani slowly lowered herself down into a chair, “I wanted to have a word with you without your little boyfriend…”

“Oh he’s not my…”

Margaret narrowed her eyes.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Malcolm stood staring at the well-dressed men on the screen arguing about their cosmetic companies, when his cell began to vibrate in his pocket. Gil’s name flashed across the screen, he looked towards the dining room where Margaret and Dani appeared to be in a deep conversation, “Hey Gil,” he answered turning his back and lowering his voice.

“For someone on vacation, you’re speaking awfully quietly,” Gil joked. 

“Yes well, I’m in a museum at the moment…you know, people like quiet in here.”

“Cut the shit Kid, you’re in San Diego…”

“Yes, true,” Malcolm confessed. 

“With Dani?” Gil questioned. 

Malcolm turned back to Dani and Margaret, “I cannot confirm nor deny.”

“We have no leads on her mother.”

“Gil, I think…I may have a lead.”

“Bright,” Gil warned.

“Just give me a couple of days and I may have something for you, but what happened the last time we were in the police station—it didn’t exactly make Dani have faith in anyone finding her mom.”

“JT and I…”

“I’m not talking about you and JT; I know you want to find Selena. Just…just give us a couple of days,” Malcolm pleaded.

“Is Dani ok?” Gil asked.

“I’m here.”

“Is Dani ok?” Gil repeated.

Malcolm turned back to the dining room, “She’s fine.”

“Well we may have found someone who had something to do with Selena’s abduction,” Gil replied, “he was found floating in the Hudson by the City Wharf. One gunshot wound to the head. Name is Michael Gallo. He had a picture of Dani and her mother in his pocket.”

Malcolm nodded, “I wonder was he there that night Selena was taken and Dani was assaulted.”

“Probably so.”

“You say he was shot and then thrown in the river? Hmm, he must have stepped out of line somewhere,” Malcolm replied, “maybe hitting Dani earned him a gunshot to the head and a swim.”

“That’s what we’re thinking, there’s an investigation going on, but if this is tied to the Mancinis, we probably won’t find anything. Look, just be careful out there. We don’t know how deep this goes,” Gil replied.

“I plan to,” Malcolm whispered.

“And take care of our girl,” Gil replied.

“You have my word,” Malcolm answered as he ended his call.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

“I can’t get over how much you look like Antonia,” Margaret shook her head staring at Dani, “of course, there are some definite differences.”

“My tan,” Dani stated without any humor. 

“Definitely not your smart mouth, that is all Antonia,” Margaret sat back, “your mother was your grandfather’s princess, unsurprisingly. He protected her with an army of soldiers and she hated him for it. She hated the way he monitored everything she did. Her extracurricular activities, her friends—the ones he allowed her to have, he wanted to know her every move and she was suffocated by it.”

“So she left and changed her name because she was suffocated? That’s not exactly a reason for all of her lies,” Dani shook her head, “I was hit with a gun because of her lies…”

Margaret’s eyes went wide, “Someone hit you? Bet their dead now.”

Dani pursed her lips, “Why did my mom leave her family, do you know?”

Margaret sighed, “I do, but it’s not my story to tell. Don’t get me wrong, I think she would have come back one day but she met your father.”

A smile came over Dani’s face, “You met my dad?”

“I did, I was one of three guests at their wedding. They were in love and then she had you and I knew she would never come back. No matter how much her father pretended to be ok with her marriage and eventually her little girl, she knew and I knew that he would never accept her decisions.”

Something in Dani broke at Margaret’s last statement, “Her decisions,” Dani nodded standing up, “well thank you for the package.”

“Danielle,” Margaret said as Dani moved towards the living room to join Malcolm, “Danielle,” Margaret repeated.

Malcolm watched as Dani’s fingers balled up into fists and she turned around, “My name is Dani. Thank you for your help,” she snapped before heading towards the front door and flinging it open.

Malcolm looked at the door where Dani disappeared through. He looked over at Margaret, “She shares her mother’s fire. She needs to be careful,” Margaret stated knowingly.

“Is Dani in trouble?” Malcolm asked.

“She has Mancini blood running through her, she’s always in trouble.”

Malcolm looked towards Dani sitting in the rental outside, “If anyone contacts you or comes here, don’t open the door and call me immediately,” Malcolm handed her a card with his name and phone number.

Margaret sucked her teeth, “They wouldn’t even make it past the threshold.”

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

The ride back to the beach house was silent. Eerily silent. Malcolm watched Dani’s every movement and he wasn’t sure what Margaret said to her, but whatever she said had cut her deep. Entering the beach house, Dani slammed down the rental car keys, “Would you like to talk about what she said to you?” Malcolm asked.

“No,” Dani answered as she sat down at the dining room table with the package in her hands.

“Well this is what we came all the way here for,” Malcolm took a seat next to her.

“She gave it to us so easily,” Dani stared down at the wrapped box.

Malcolm nodded, “Well it’s probably because she didn’t want it. Margaret didn’t want that package and she only took it because she knew that your mother needed her to keep it safe. She trusts you and she just wanted…”

“Malcolm, I don’t want to hear anything else about her or what she thinks or what she knows about my mother,” Dani interrupted him, “I just want to know what the hell is in this damn box,” she said removing the tape from the cardboard box and flipping it open, “huh?” she sat back. Malcolm peered into the box. It was a small music box. Dani removed the cherrywood music box and flipped it open. Inside was a small ballerina doing a pirouette to Once Upon a December, however within the music box was a small thumb drive.

Minutes later, they sat in front of a laptop with the thumb drive sticking out of the side. The drive appeared on the screen, “Insurance,” Dani recited the name, clicking on the drive to open it and running into a password.

Dani tried a few words and every word she tried was met with a huge error message. It was like one more instance of not knowing her mother at all. When the fifth word, Smokey, her grey cat when she was 6 returned an error, Malcolm watched as the redness in Dani’s face spread across her body and she pushed the laptop away from her, “Fuck this!” she screamed standing up from the table running her hands through her hair as Malcolm’s eyes widened at her explosion, “My mother! I don’t even know who she is! I barely know her real name and I can’t even get the damn password to a freaking thumb drive that she shipped across the United States!” she gestured towards the laptop.

“Dani, come on…your mother must have made the password something ridiculous,” he moved closer to her.

“Or it could be the name of her mother or her brother or someone I don’t even know!” Dani exploded in frustration, “I don’t know her. I don’t know anything about her and I’m not saying that I had the best relationship with my mother, but I at least thought I knew her.”

“Dani, you do know your mother.”

“Do I?” she asked, “do I really know her? Maybe she decided that she wanted her old life back. Maybe she’s happy where she is. Perhaps, I was a decision that she regretted and now she gets to pretend that I never existed. That Selena Powell never existed.”

Malcolm shook his head, “No, Dani come on…”

Dani wiped the tears that her started to build in her eyes with her finger, “I’ve tried Malcolm to just accept this, but I can’t act like this doesn’t bother me. That I don’t hate this. That I’m not slowly falling apart about all of this!” she covered her face trying to calm herself and failing.

Watching Dani break down twisted him into knots. Calming a crying woman wasn’t exactly his strong suit he reached out for her taking her hand, “Dani, you are not some bad decision your mother made. I only met her once and I could tell that you are the _best_ decision she ever made. I don’t know what’s going on right now, but I promise you—she didn’t want to walk away from you. She’s been in contact with you, she’s doing that because she wants to make sure that the most important person to her in this world is ok,” Malcolm calmly tried to soothe her.

Dani nodded slowly as she met Malcolm’s eyes. He searched her brown orbs and held her gaze for a few beats, before he moved in closer allowing his lips to meet hers. At first, the kiss was tentative, probing. Malcolm was somewhat surprised at how soft and pillowy her lips were. Malcolm deepened the kiss as Dani slowly parted her lips and allowed his tongue to gain access. She tasted like the peppermint gum that she loved to chew when trying to solve a case. As Malcolm moved his lips from Dani’s and focused his kisses on her neck, she opened her eyes and realized that Malcolm was currently sucking on her neck and it felt good…too good.

“Malcolm…Malcolm,” she pushed him away gently, “we…we can’t…do this,” she breathed out, “why did you do that?”

Malcolm’s face was flushed as he looked at Dani with wide eyes, “You were upset…I was trying to calm you down,” he gestured between them.

He expected a smile or a smirk, but instead Dani’s face contorted in anger, “You wanted to calm me down, so you kiss me? With everything I’m going through, you decide that kissing me would make me feel better?” she poked his chest.

“Dani, no I…” Malcolm tried to speak up, but the words got lost as Dani folded her arms.

“I am not some charity case Malcolm,” she spat out brushing past him and heading up the stairs before he could utter another word.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Dani sat on her bed staring at the door she’d slammed 30 minutes previously. Her foot hadn’t stopped tapping as she stared at the white wood and the sign on the back of the door that said ‘beach living’. Her anger, her confusion, her sadness, her embarrassment took turns fighting for dominance. The kiss was…it was definitely unexpected, but it was nice, it was passionate and she felt like a fool. Malcolm was a master at knowing how to handle the emotions of people. He knew how to distract her from her current situation and give her something else to focus on.

A kiss, she chuckled without any humor. He had kissed her. Never once did Malcolm show any interest in her beyond a partner or a friend and he had tongued her down in the middle of the living room of their Airbnb. She hated it. She hated him. She also hated at how good the kiss felt and how much she actually fell deeper into her feelings where he was concerned. It was the ultimate mindfuck.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Malcolm sat on the couch looking towards the stairs and then back at his phone. He could hear Dani pacing after she slammed the bedroom door. He scanned the names in his phone. There was Gil and he sure as hell couldn’t call him to confess what just occurred between, he and Dani. Then came his mother and hell would freeze over before he confessed to her. Then there was Ainsley, yes, she had been put through a lot over the last couple months and barely dodged her own room at Claremont, but she had snapped back to the Ainsley that she’d always been. He was suspicious, but on the outside…she was the same.

His finger moved towards selecting her name, when another call came in and ‘Claremont Psychiatric’ flashed across the screen. Glancing towards the stairs, Malcolm pressed the green button accepting the call, “Hello,” Malcolm answered. His day was already shitty, so he should just continue it with a conversation with Martin Whitly.

“My Boy, how are you?” Martin asked in the whimsical tone that was both scary and also almost comedic.

Malcolm stood up sliding the patio door open and stepping out onto the wooden boards of the deck, “I’m fine. Things are well, is there a reason why you are calling me?”

“Well I’ve been thinking about you and your sister lately. Ainsley hasn’t returned any of my calls…”

Malcolm rolled his eyes, “Maybe she doesn’t want to bond with you over taking another person’s life.”

“Well…I mean, we do have that in common at least. But…” he paused, “is that the sound of ocean waves, I hear? Malcolm, where are you?”

“I’m working a case outside of New York.”

“Oooh can I help?” Martin asked excitedly, “another serial killer? A traveling one, perhaps?”

“No, nothing that sophisticated and no, I don’t need your help.”

Martin was silent for a few moments, “Are you investigating… _alone_?”

“Actually, you know I have to go…”

Martin gasped, “Ahh, that tells me you’re not. Getting back on the horse, that makes perfect sense after all that you’ve been through. So who’s the lucky lady?”

Malcolm closed his eyes, “You know, I am really not discussing _any_ of this.”

“Ahh, that means you two are not being inti…”

“Nice conversation, well I have to go, talk to you later,” Malcolm ended the call quickly. He looked up at Dani’s bedroom. He guessed he needed to actually have a conversation with her sooner than later, considering they were leaving for NY the next afternoon. He stepped inside of the beach house and slowly closed the patio door behind him. Making his way up the stairs, he felt a sense of anxiety slowly build as he made his way towards Dani’s bedroom. Stopping in front of it, he took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock, “Dani?” he called through the door.

He was met with silence.

“Dani…” he stated again knocking.

“Yes, Malcolm.”

“Can I come in, so we can talk.”

“Fine.”

Malcolm slowly opened the door and found Dani sitting in the middle of the bed. Her eyes were red and a little puffy and his guilt consumed him, “I didn’t know that my kisses could make you cry like that,” Malcolm joked uncomfortably, “I’m sorry.”

Dani looked over at him and he could see a hint of a smirk forming on her lips as she shook her head, “It’s not just because of your kiss that I was crying,” she looked over at him, “things are just… _crazy_ right now and I don’t know what…I have no idea what is happening now.”

Malcolm gestured to a space on the bed and Dani shrugged. Taking a seat, he focused on her, “Dani, I want to talk about what happened downstairs,” Malcolm began.

“The fact that we can’t figure out my mom’s password?” Dani replied slyly.

The smirk she gave Malcolm at that point brought him back to the place he was downstairs, “No, I want to talk about why I kissed you.”

“Oh that,” Dani looked down and then at him, “I overreacted.”

Malcolm smiled, realizing her attempt at minimizing what happened and her reaction to it, “No, I want to explain. I kissed you because I wanted to,” he watched her look up at him with a look of softness and he took that as a sign to keep going, “Dani, since I came back to New York and started consulting with the team, you helped me. You didn’t even know me when you grabbed hold of me and shielded me from the uniforms who were willing to blow me away. You didn’t judge me afterwards, you just moved on like I was a part of the team.”

“Well what else was I supposed to do…”

Malcolm chuckled, “You would be surprised at how many times my oddities scare people away. You didn’t turn your nose up at me and the chains, you _helped_ me. You did the best you could with me when I went crazy in the bathroom when I was high off of those drugs. You have been a good friend to me Dani…” Malcolm began, before taking her hand, “and my feelings for you, I can admit—there was always something between us. Something that even I couldn’t describe until now, you see me Dani—you get me. I’m not just Martin Whitly’s son or the crazy profiler that Gil took pity on, I think you see someone who tries…someone who is just trying to be normal. Normal like everyone else in this world and Dani, I came here because I want to help you. I would never allow you to do something like this without me. You mean a lot to me and if I can help spare you any hurt, I am going to do it.”

“Malcolm…”

“So Dani, I kissed you because it’s pretty simple…the chemical reactions in my brain told me to and I wanted to make you aware of how much you mean to me and that whatever is going on with your mom doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re Detective Dani Powell.”

Dani looked down at Malcolm’s hand and squeezed it, “Do you know why I was upset with you downstairs,” she looked at him through the strands of hair that had fallen in her face, “because my feelings for you confused me up until that moment and during that kiss, I felt like something was starting to make sense in this sea of uncertainty and craziness. The feelings that were developing weren’t my imagination.”

Malcolm removed his hand from Dani’s grasp and gently moved the strands of hair that had fallen into her face, “It wasn’t your imagination,” he whispered before resting his hand on her cheek, before kissing her. His lips danced a slow tango with Dani’s as his hand moved from her cheek to wrapping his arm around her waist, bringing her body and her warmness closer to him. There was a break in the kiss for a few moments when they took deep breaths staring into each other’s eyes and in that moment—each one contemplated turning back from this, but as Malcolm lowered her to the bed, all doubts and inhibitions drifted out of the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexy Times are AHEAD!!!


	6. Not the Way We Pictured It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Malcolm take their friendship to another level and the unexpected happens...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading! I want keep you waiting any longer.

Dani’s back hit the soft cushion of the mattress as Malcolm’s lips never left hers. Breaking the kiss for a moment, Dani moved her head to give his soft lips access to her neck as he moved his legs to rest on each side of her thighs to straddle her. She could feel Malcolm’s eagerness through his khakis as his hands found their way slowly up her t-shirt, softly squeezing the soft mounds on her chest. She moaned as his lips suckled her neck while she moved her hands under his shirt to run them slowly across his back. 

“Dani,” Malcolm whispered moving his lips from her neck and taking a moment to look down at her causing her eyes to open. Her eyes met his eyes and they were different—totally changed—they had become darker, “Are we doing this?” he asked looking down at her.

She licked her lips, before reaching up placing her hand on the back of his neck staring directly into his eyes, “Yes, we are,” she whispered kissing him as she felt his hands go to her shirt and pull it over her head to reveal her black lacy bra, Malcolm couldn’t hide the smile that was brought to his lips seeing the thin garment, “Wow,” he breathed out, before reaching behind her to unfasten the clasps. He fiddled with them for a few moments and they both let out a chuckle.

Dani smiled gently shaking her head, “There is no need to rush.”

“Right…right…your…” Malcolm began, but Dani placed her finger on his lips stopping him from speaking. He nodded as he finally unclasped the two metal hooks and the lace bra loosened. Seeing Dani like this, did something unexpected to him, the bra quickly found its way to the floor along with the rest of her clothes.

Every bit of Malcolm wanted to rush, seeing Dani like this, below him made him want to savor every moment. His hands moved over her body taking in how soft she felt; with every touch, he found his arousal increasing. Bending down, he began to kiss a trail from the valley between her breasts to her stomach while allowing his tongue to circle her navel. With every moan that Dani allowed to escape her lips, he wanted to be inside of her, but he wanted to also savor every moment of this.

As his head rested between her thighs taking in her scent, he looked up at Dani who’s eyes were closed, “Look at me,” he whispered, but yet commanded her causing her eyes to open slowly and he kissed the inside of each thigh before focusing on her center, allowing his tongue to slowly lick her. The sound of her taking a sharp intake of breath and the feeling of her gripping the sheets, caused him to increase his tongue ministrations.

“Mal…Malcolm,” she moaned, “please, my bag…the front pocket,” she panted.

Malcolm kissed a trail back up to allow his lips to meet hers before standing up and walking over to Dani’s grey duffle bag on the floor removing a foil square from the front pocket. When he returned, he quickly returned to their kisses, deepening them as he opened the package and sheathed himself. Returning his lips to Dani’s neck, he laced his fingers through hers and he slowly entered her, hearing her gasp as she adjusted to his girth and length. “You ok?” he whispered looking down at her.

“Yes,” she whispered back as they began to move in a steady rhythm.

The room was then filled with soft moans, the sound of skin coming together and the kisses between the two. Every touch was gentle, every kiss was passionate with a hint of softness and every movement had an undercurrent of intensity that they never wanted these moments to end.

Malcolm felt Dani tense under him as she ran her nails down his back and held onto him tighter, he increased his rhythm as they both vocalized their climaxes as he collapsed on top of her. For a few moments, the beating of each other’s hearts was all they could hear in the room.

After a few seconds, Malcolm pulled the blanket over their bodies, before turning to Dani. The sun had begun to set outside and she was still lying on her back with her eyes closed, “Dani?” he whispered.

Dani opened her eyes and turned to him, “Malcolm,” she replied with a small smile which made his heart flutter a little.

Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure of what he should say, “I just…uh…I want you to know that when I rented this house, I didn’t expect what just happened to umm…happen,” he struggled over his words.

She shifted her body, so that she could look into his eyes, “I know.”

“And I know that emotions were running high and that…”

“Malcolm, are you trying to give me an out concerning what just happened between us or are you trying to give yourself one?”

Malcolm reached over and caressed her cheek with his thumb, “I meant everything I said to you earlier. My feelings for you are real.”

Dani blushed, “Mine too and frankly, this is the only thing that makes sense in my life right now. What’s happening with my mom, the fact that we are back at square one and this trip didn’t exactly do what we expected…it’s hard, but this…you and me, it makes sense to me. It’s what I’ve wanted for awhile.”

Malcolm reached over taking Dani’s hand lacing her fingers through his, “I hate to tell you this, but we’re in a bubble right now. San Diego, this beach house, all a bubble,” Malcolm told her.

Dani nodded as she moved to straddle Malcolm as he rested his hands on her waist, “But the thing is, I want to stay in the bubble for awhile with you,” she replied softly before bending down and joining her lips with his.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPPSPS

_“My darling boy, you’ve finally come to visit me,” Martin grinned manically as Malcolm stepped through the door into the room at Claremont._

_Looking around, Malcolm mumbled, “Only for a short time.”_

_Giving Malcolm a once over, Martin grinned, “Looks like you’ve had a moment of happiness.”_

_“What?”_

_“A moment of happiness…oh Malcolm, don’t you understand—you will never have true happiness, that’s your cross to bear as my son. Happiness will be ripped from you as soon as you discover it,” Martin moved closer to him._

_“I don’t believe that,” Malcolm shook his head._

_Martin smiled mischievously, “Is that what you think?” Martin laughed and then his smile disappeared, “stop dreaming…”, he whispered and then his face contorted into a scowl, “STOP DREAMING!”_

Malcolm shot up in bed to the darkness of the bedroom. Dani was lying beside him and didn’t move an inch as he glanced over at her breathing softly. He touched her arm gently, smelling the jasmine vanilla scent of the body wash they used in the shower hours earlier. The shower together was something that he definitely didn’t expect, but then again, none of this was expected.

Sliding out of bed, he pulled on his boxer briefs and made his way out of the room. He needed some water for his nighttime medication and he needed to take a few deep breaths without waking Dani up. After a quick stop in his bedroom, he walked down the stairs, pausing for a few seconds as he thought he heard the floor creak. Slowly making his way towards the kitchen, Malcolm grabbed a glass from the dish drainer and turned to the refrigerator filling up the glass with water and popping his pills into his mouth.

Taking a few gulps of water, he sat the glass down on the counter and immediately felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Turning his head slightly to look towards the door, he felt and heard the whoosh of someone’s fist coming towards him. Allowing his reflexes to kick in, he quickly ducked while throwing his own punch and Malcolm connected with the attacker's cheek sending the person tumbling back, but only temporarily when they managed to throw a punch at Malcolm sending him crashing into the stainless-steel refrigerator.

Momentarily winded as he slowly felt the effects of his drugs taking over, he threw another punch as the person approached him again. He wanted to yell Dani’s name, but he also didn’t want whomever this was to expect her. He hoped she wasn’t as heavy a sleeper as she appeared.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPPSPS

Dani’s eyes popped open at the sound of glass breaking downstairs and looked over at the other side of the bed where Malcolm had been. She immediately sat up and listened as she heard tussling downstairs. Leaping out of bed, she quickly threw on a t-shirt lying on the floor and rushed out of the room.

Hurrying down the stairs, she came upon Malcolm and someone dressed in black scuffling in the living room. Swiftly running over to the two men, Dani jumped on the back of the intruder, clawing at his eyes until he shook her off causing Dani to hit the floor hard. Advancing on her, he balled up his fists when the lights came on.

“You lay a hand on her Tony, you will end up like Mikey,” a voice stated from the foyer.

Dani glanced up at the man standing over her and realized that he looked familiar. He was the man on the video outside of her mother’s house.

Malcolm was standing up wiping his bloody lip and he made eye contact with her. This was not how he saw the rest of their night going at all. Dani stood up, suddenly feeling self-conscious realizing that she was only in a t-shirt and panties.

“You should go put some clothes on,” the man who turned on the light stated.

“Who are you?” Dani asked.

“Anthony Mancini would like to see you,” the man answered avoiding her question.

“Oh would he?” Dani folded her arms, “well I don’t want to see him.”

Dani heard a gun cock behind her, she turned to see a gun pointed at Malcolm’s head. Shaking her head, she faced the man in front of her, “I will get dressed and so will he, he’s coming with me to see Anthony,” Dani stated.

“That’s fine, one at a time and if you try anything, he will die,” the skinny man stated, “you go first,” he gestured towards Dani. She looked over at Malcolm who nodded. She turned and headed up the stairs, “I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with her, but you better hope that Anthony is feeling generous today.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Malcolm replied.

“Oh you mean that you’re not banging Anthony’s granddaughter?” the skinny man replied.

Malcolm shook his head, “I’m not answering that.”

“Yes, denial may be the best bet for you,” Tony spoke up.

“Why are you here, do you know who we are…who Dani is?” Malcolm asked.

The skinny man smirked, “We know exactly who you are and I’m going to suggest you keep quiet, Tony here is not too happy that you hit him.”

Malcolm turned to see Tony flexing his fingers, “Well I guess that’s enough of us getting to know each other then,” he mumbled as he took a seat on one of the stools.

Minutes later, Dani came downstairs with her hair tied in a bun. It was a different look for her, but Malcolm loved the way it allowed him to see her face with no obstructions. She was so beautiful to him, “Stop gawking and go get dressed, we have to get out of here soon,” the skinny guy ordered.

Malcolm looked over at Dani and headed up the stairs.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Dani folded her arms.

“I’m Georgio, I’m your mother’s brother. Why are you here in San Diego?”

“Vacation. I needed it after someone pistol whipped me and stole my mother,” Dani countered.

Georgio grimaced, “Mikey was ambitious, he was dealt with.”

“You mean he’s dead,” Dani concluded.

Georgio shrugged, “Now what are you doing here? Were you looking for something in particular?”

“No,” Dani answered.

He smirked, “Just like Antonia. You lie so easily.”

Dani scoffed.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPPSPS

Malcolm frantically threw clothes into his suitcase as he waited for Gil to answer the phone, “Bright, what is it?” Gil answered in a gruff and tired voice, clearing not enjoying waking up at 3am.

Malcolm looked towards the closed door and spoke in a whisper, “I don’t have much time to talk, let’s just say things took a slight detour.”

“What did you do to Dani?” Gil asked.

Malcolm closed his eyes for a few moments as he remembered Dani writhing under him, “Umm…nothing…listen, the Mancinis may have caught up to us and right now they may be taking us to Selena. I may be unavailable, but I will let you know pretty soon.”

“Wait…what do you mean?”

Malcolm ended the call without answering Gil and continued throwing his clothes in the suitcase and rushing out of the room.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found Dani standing with her arms folded staring daggers at two men, “I was just telling Danielle…”

“My name is Dani,” she snapped.

“ _Danielle_ , that we’re taking a little trip. Anthony would like to see you because he believes you have something that belongs to him. So I hope you packed everything you need, we’re leaving now,” Georgio replied. 

Malcolm stood closer to Dani, “You ok?”

“No,” she sighed, “but that’s been the common feeling over the last couple of days.”

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPPSPS

Dani’s mind raced as they made their way towards, what she assumed was the airport. They had confiscated their cell phones and she was starting to panic silently. She could see Malcolm stealing glances at her as they sat in the back of the SUV, but she couldn’t look at him. She was slowly freaking out. Her thoughts went from what happened with Malcolm, her partner and her friend to what was going on at that moment. She was starting to feel nauseous. 

She felt Malcolm’s hand on her back, slowly rubbing it to calm her and it was starting to work. Turning to him, she smiled, “Thank you,” she mouthed as he nodded at her.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPPSPS

“Is this how the Mancini family treats it’s abductees?” Malcolm joked as he took a seat in one of the plush leather seats of the private jet that they boarded an hour after leaving the beach house.

“I guess you don’t understand that this is not the time to talk,” Georgio replied as Tony glared.

“Oh so you’re also making us stay quiet, what happens if we don’t?” Dani asked defiantly causing Malcolm to grin.

“Keep it down,” Tony growled as he sat down across from Georgio and they began to whisper to each other.

“Doing better?” Malcolm whispered bringing Dani’s attention away from the two men.

She gave him a watery smile, “How can I be ok? All of this is pretty unbelievable. It’s been non-stop since that night at my mom’s house.”

“Yes, I imagine so—but you’re handling it well and if you’re not, I have some pills that may help you out,” Malcolm winked.

Dani laughed throwing her head back, “Thank you, but I’m ok.”

“Are you…” Malcolm glanced at the two men on laptops ignoring them, “a lot has happened Dani.”

She nodded, “A lot has happened, but there was one good thing.”

Malcolm gave her a knowing smile, “I guess at some point we need to have a deeper conversation about what happened between us.”

“Something happened between us?” Dani raised an eyebrow with a slight smirk.

Malcolm looked over at Georgio and Tony and then back at Dani, before moving closer to her. Every bit of his self-restraint was at play, he wanted to kiss her at that moment, “Yes, something that I really want to talk about some more, but with two men over there…one of which is your uncle and may blow me away and the other…well…no one knows who he is.”

“An asshole,” Dani finished.

“Umm…” Malcolm leaned over closer to her with his lips close to her ear, his breath on her ear sent a shiver down her spine, “did you happen to get the jewelry box?”

“No, but I did happen to get what we came for,” she whispered back.

“Where is it?”

“Somewhere that our friends over there wouldn’t look.”

Malcolm’s eyes traveled over her body, “It’s not in any crevice, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she pointed to her bun.

Malcolm’s eyes twinkled as he gave her a wide smile, “Smart.”

“Well I can be resourceful when I need to be.”

“Dani, this is going to work out. Look, we’re already a couple of hours from seeing your mother.”

“Can we not talk about her right now?”

Malcolm took Dani’s hand, “Ok, fine we can talk about something else, like when all of this is done…I want to take you on a date Dani Powell.”

Dani squinted, “A date?”

“Well I mean, we’ve already kind of bypassed the dinner and drinks phase, but I want to go back a little, take you to dinner and show you the good man that Jessica Whitly raised.”

Dani threw her head back and laughed, “We’ve been kidnapped and you’re talking about dinner plans, only Malcolm Bright would do such a thing.”

Malcolm took in Dani’s smile and he relaxed a little. The fact that she was able to laugh despite the amount of shit they were in made him relax.

From what he read about Anthony Mancini, he was a shrewd businessman, but also an unrepentant criminal. While he may have ordered the murder of the man who hurt Dani (and Malcolm may have to shake his hand for that), it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t hesitate to order the murder of anyone else who got in his way or hid something from him—such as a thumb drive.

There wasn’t much to profile about Anthony Mancini, he grew up in Roxbury and helped to run numbers for the head boss Vincento Angolo until Vincento was murdered and his territory was taken over. Anthony slowly rose through the ranks until he took over and became the boss. He was ruthless and held control of most of the Boston mob to this day. He mostly kept his family out of the public eye, but as Malcolm discovered tonight, some were definitely part of the family business.

Whatever Selena had on that thumb drive; Malcolm was pretty sure it meant a lot to Anthony—but whether it meant enough to murder for was the question.

As time drifted by and the soft hum of the jet continued, Malcolm felt his eyes began to droop and as much as he wanted to keep his eyes open—he couldn’t. He allowed himself to succumb to sleep with Dani seated next to him.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPPSPS

“Your boyfriend looks like he couldn’t stay up and keep watch,” Tony sneered as Dani glanced over at Malcolm.

“It’s the middle of the night and I would be sleep too, if I didn’t want to watch every move you make,” Dani snapped.

Georgio focused on Dani for a few moments before shaking his head, “It’s crazy.”

“What’s crazy?” she asked.

“How much you look like Antonia, we didn’t think…”

“That I would look like her despite my dad being black?” Dani finished for him.

Georgio went quiet for a few moments and Dani continued to speak, “If you’re my mother’s brother and Anthony Mancini is her father, why don’t you call him father as well?”

Georgio gave Dani a smirk, “When I discuss business, he is Anthony Mancini.”

“I see and kidnapping your sister’s daughter…is business?” Dani asked.

“It’s both,” Georgio stated.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPPSPS

After the jet landed, Dani and Malcolm were forced into a waiting black SUV on the airfield that immediately left the airport traveling along the highway. Throughout the ride, Malcolm rubbed his thumb along Dani’s hand trying to reassure her that things would be ok.

He didn’t feel as if they were in immediate danger. Sure, he had gotten into a fist fight with the big ogre known as Tony, but there was something about this entire process of leaving San Diego and arriving in Boston that told him that Anthony Mancini didn’t plan to physically harm them, perhaps he did accept that Dani was his granddaughter.

The only question at the moment was whether or not they knew what Antonia sent to San Diego. As the SUV made its way further from the city, the houses became further apart and suddenly they turned down a road where trees camouflaged the large houses in the distance. The SUV turned down Holmes Road and continued through the trees until they cleared and a mansion, with a gated entrance stood ahead. The driver pushed numbers into the security box and the large black gate moved to allow the SUV entry. Malcolm was impressed. This home resembled the palatial homes that his mother’s side of the family loved to buy to outdo each other.

The SUV pulled around a water fountain and up to the large white French doors, “Get out,” Tony barked at them as he opened the door and Dani stepped outside, followed by Malcolm.

Tony removed their suitcases, “Follow me,” Georgio stated as he walked towards the front door, which opened and a skinny white man opened the door with a thin mustache. He actually resembled the Alfred character from Batman, Malcolm thought. He glanced over at Dani and then at Malcolm with suspicious eyes.

“Take a seat in the living room and touch nothing,” Georgio ordered them.

Dani stood in the middle of foyer taking in her surroundings. The house was immaculate. From the interior décor to the portraits along the wall. She figured that the people on the walls dated back to the 1800’s.

“The living room,” Georgio stated again.

“Dani,” Malcolm took her hand and led her into the living room, which contained white furniture, “bet there were no murders in here,” Malcolm quipped. He waited for Dani to react, but she didn’t. She was standing in the middle of the room staring at the pictures on the shelves around the fireplace. Dani walked away from him and over to the pictures.

There were family pictures and at least a dozen of them contained Selena. Dani stared at the pictures, lifting one and running her fingers across the picture of her mother as a teenager.

“Well I apologize for keeping you waiting,” a loud booming voice stated from the archway of the living room.

Malcolm turned to see Anthony dressed impeccably in a navy-blue suit, white shirt and a blue and white polka dot tie. For his large and tall stature, the suit fit him like a glove. His ebony hair was slicked back with hints of grey peeking through. He stood smiling at them, but Malcolm noted, the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He looked more surprised and a little uneasy at seeing Dani.

“Well I have to admit, the last time I was abducted—I had to damn near break my hand to get free, so this is definitely welcomed,” Malcolm smiled.

Anthony shot him a look, “Your Malcolm Bright or Whitly, depending on the day. Your father is The Surgeon and you turned FBI Profiler, I’m shocked that the Feds even let you into their little circle.”

“Well I graduated at the top of my class, they kind of only had one option.”

“Uh, huh and now you’re working for the NYPD, they kicked you out huh?” Anthony smirked.

Malcolm grimaced, “It was a mutual decision.”

Anthony chuckled, “Peter!” he bellowed and the skinny man who opened the door appeared in the living room, “please take Mr. Bright to his guest room upstairs and make sure that he is comfortable, I would like some time with Danielle.”

“It’s Dani,” she corrected him.

Anthony smiled at her, “Peter, please see Mr. Bright to his room. Mr. Bright, I’m sure you will find your accommodations suitable. I have to apologize that the use of the phone and computers aren’t exactly welcomed during this time,” he spoke to Malcolm.

“Electronics are overrated,” Malcolm replied looking over at Dani, “you good?” he stated lowly.

She looked over at him and nodded slowly.

Malcolm wanted to give her a kiss to reassure her, but didn’t want to be killed at the moment—so he just nodded and followed Peter out of the room.

Dani turned to Anthony and crossed her arm staring at him, “Would you like to take a seat,” he gestured towards the couch.

Dani stared at the white couch as Anthony took a seat in the large chair next to the couch, she slowly took a seat, “You know I’m a New York Police Detective and you kidnapping me and a consultant is grounds for you to be in jail for a very long time,” Dani began, “so I don’t know why you brought us here or what you want from us…”

“You have your mother’s fire,” he replied almost in awe, “and I am well aware of who you are and what you do…as well as what Mr. Bright does, but surely you can understand that this is a family reunion of sorts.”

Dani scoffed, “Family reunion? I didn’t even know you existed as my family until you sent your goons to come into my mom’s house, tear it apart and kidnap her—while also pistol whipping me.”

She watched Anthony scowl at her words, “What happened to you was unfortunate. Definitely something that occurred as a result of the over eagerness of an employee. He was dealt with.”

“He’s dead,” Dani answered.

Anthony shrugged, “He is no longer in my employ, I have no idea what occurred when he left. However, he harmed you and I do not approve of such actions.”

Dani shrugged, “Why am I here?”

“Well I am sure you are aware that the family is going through a slight difficult period and we needed to speak to your mother, well she to see you—so I thought that we could all have a conversation at some point under one roof.”

“Family?” Dani chuckled, “when have we ever been considered family?”

“Danielle, your mother decided to separate herself from us, not the other way around.”

Dani rolled her eyes, “Right, so you approved of your daughter marrying a black man who was a bus driver? You were fine with that? You wanted to throw a wedding in that backyard out there, I’m sure. I bet…you were also so very happy when she gave birth to a slightly darker, curly haired little girl, weren’t you?”

Anthony clenched his jaw.

“Where’s my mother?” Dani asked.

“She’s not here at the moment, I believe she went out for a few hours.”

“She’s allowed out?” Dani raised an eyebrow.

“She went out on her horse,” he replied.

Dani blinked—her mother was a horse rider?

“What do you plan to do with us here?” Dani asked.

“Well like I said, we need to have a family meeting.”

Dani nodded, “Right and what about Malcolm?”

Anthony gave her a chilling smile, “He’s your friend, right? He means a lot to you?”

Dani swallowed, “Malcolm is my colleague and he has nothing to do with whatever is going on with this family.”

Anthony stood up and walked over to Dani staring down at her, “My men told me exactly what they witnessed in that house in San Diego, he’s not just a colleague. You know it and I know it, so its best you not lie to me. I do honor my familial times, those who have my blood flowing through their veins—but those who do not, may not be so lucky.”

“Are you threatening Malcolm,” Dani met his eyes.

“Threatening…no…but accidents happen,” Anthony matched her gaze.

“Danielle?” a voice questioned from the archway.

Dani and Anthony turned to see Selena standing in the doorway, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt with a riding jacket and boots with tears welling up in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well Dani and Malcolm will have to address what happened between them at some point, but first...Family Reunion.


	7. Family Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani's mother comes clean about her past, which leads Dani to make a decision about her present...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continuous support and interest! It means the world to me!

“Danielle,” Selena rushed past Anthony and brought Dani in a hug. Dani, in return, stood there motionless as Selena hugged her tightly, the smell of her mother’s perfume wafting up her nose. Selena broke the hug and placed her hands on Dani’s cheeks, “what are you doing here?” she questioned and then she turned to Anthony, “what is she doing here?”

“I thought we could have a family meeting Antonia, I thought having all of the family here would help,” he smiled, “including our precious Danielle.”

Selena focused on Dani, “Everything is going to be fine, trust me. Are you ok? Did anyone hurt you?”

“Antonia, I would never allow anyone to touch Danielle,” Anthony stated from behind the two women.

Selena turned to glare at her father, “Why is Dani here?”

Anthony walked over to stand beside the two women who favored each other so much that he was in awe at that very moment, “You know why she’s here Antonia, we need to talk or maybe we can talk and we can leave our farfalle nera out of it,” he stated.

Antonia drew her eyes away from Dani to stare at Anthony, “Dani, can you please give me and my father a moment. You can wait in my room upstairs…”

“Or you can wait in the room with your friend, the profiler,” Anthony added.

Selena’s head whipped around to face Dani, “What profiler?”

“Well I think our Danielle here has a boyfriend. You can join him, he’s in the 3rd room on the left from the stairs,” Anthony gestured with his chin towards the stairs.

Dani shook her head as she removed herself from her mother’s embrace, before heading towards the stairs, she took another look at Anthony and her mother. There were two decisions to make at that moment, sit on the top of the stairs and try to listen or bide her time and go meet Malcolm in his room. Choosing the latter, she walked the plush white carpet and stopped in front of the third door on the left, she knocked softly and the door opened quickly. Malcolm smiled at her. He had changed into a light blue button-down shirt and navy-blue slacks, “I can’t complain about the accommodations,” Malcolm commented as she entered looking around. The room had a large window looking out at what appeared to be the horse barn. In the middle of the room was a large king size bed and matching drawers along the wall. The room was definitely welcoming to a guest or prisoner, depending on how you chose to view the situation.

“We’re here under duress,” Dani paced the room.

“We are, but this is what we wanted right?” Malcolm met her in the middle of one of her treks, “we went to San Diego to get a lead on your mom and we’re here with her now.”

“Yeah, after a gun was held to your head.”

Malcolm shrugged with a cheeky grin, “Not the first time.”

“How can you be so cavalier about this?” Dani threw up her hands, “we don’t know why they want us here…”

Malcolm straightened his stance, “They plan to use you as a bargaining chip to get your mother to do whatever they are requesting of her and I’m here because I’m the bargaining chip to get _you_ to do whatever they want,” Malcolm explained, “it’s simple. I think we need to just play our roles until we can figure out what’s on that thumb drive and use that to make sure we both get out of here with no problems.”

“Play our roles?” Dani raised an eyebrow.

“Well you’re his granddaughter. They killed a guy because he hit you, there’s some familial loyalty there.”

Dani rolled her eyes, “What does familial loyalty look like in this family though?”

“Blood over everything?” Malcolm answered and then searched Dani’s face for a few moments, “hey, since we’re kind of stuck in here for a while, you want to talk?”

Suddenly nerves overtook Dani’s body. She swallowed nodding as he gestured towards the bed and she raised an eyebrow, “Just to talk,” he smirked.

She smiled sitting crossed leg on the bed as he took a seat, “Soo that last night in San Diego…” he breathed out, “I don’t regret it.”

Dani blinked, “Wow…that’s what every girl wants to hear the day after she has sex with a guy the first time.”

Grimacing, Malcolm rushed to explain, “No…no…I don’t mean it like that…I mean, it didn’t happen just because we were in San Diego and just because you were upset at your mom. It was something that I wanted to happen and I kept waiting for the right moment, but I guess there’s never a right moment in our lives—huh?”

Dani smiled, “No, I guess not.”

“So we have to talk about the inevitable, where do we go from here?” Malcolm asked, “was that something that we just leave in San Diego or do you want to see where else it can go?”

“Hey, you promised me a date on the jet and I am so very interested to see where Malcolm Bright takes women for first dates.”

“I have to admit that I’m somewhat out of practice?” he flirted moving closer to her.

“I think you will figure it out pretty quickly,” Dani watched him move closer to her as a knock came on the door and they jumped apart like two teenagers. Selena entered the room after a few seconds and stood in the doorway. She looked from Dani to Malcolm, “Mom,” Dani stood up from the bed tucking a couple of strands of hair behind her ear.

Selena stared at Malcolm and Dani for a few beats and then smiled, “Peter has prepared you a room across the hall, why don’t you go over and make sure that he’s not placing your clothes where you don’t want them,” Selena turned her gaze from Dani to Malcolm, “I will keep Malcolm company while you do that and I will come speak with you after your situated.”

Dani looked over at Malcolm who looked like a deer caught in headlights before walking out of the room. Selena turned to stare at Malcolm with a slight smirk, “I’m so happy that we have a chance to speak.”

“Uhh…really?” Malcolm moved to the edge of the bed. Staring up at Selena who scarily resembled Dani when she was pissed with him.

“My father tells me that you are Dani’s boyfriend, the last time I saw the two of you, you were her partner.”

“Yes, well…I am not her boyfriend and we are still partners,” Malcolm answered standing up.

Selena nodded and moved closer to him, “Why in the hell are you two here?” she hissed with her eyes narrowed into slits, “why did you allow Dani to go to San Diego? I told her to leave it alone. I know that you are some kind of trouble junkie, but you had to know that this would end badly.”  
Malcolm took a few steps back. The demeanor of the woman standing in front of him was not the Selena Powell that he met a week ago in her house. This was the demeanor of a woman used to getting what she wanted, calculated all risks and demanded answers—this was Antonia Mancini, “I’m sure you know Dani, she doesn’t exactly like to be told what to do. Your daughter watched you be abducted, she still doesn’t remember what happened—but she woke up to your house turned upside down with a concussion and a sprained wrist. She’s a detective, she was going to find out what happened no matter what. She planned to go to San Diego with or without me and I had to go with her. She needed someone to look out for her.”

Selena scoffed, “Great job you did, Georgio and Tony found you and brought you here.”

“It was 2 in the morning!” Malcolm defended himself.

Selena shook her head and whispered, “Fine, so what exactly do you two know?”

“Know? We know that you sent a thumb drive to a woman in San Diego, but we have no idea what’s on it.”

“Where is it?” Selena asked.

Malcolm smiled, “Can you answer a question for me?” he walked around her tapping his finger on his chin, “are you Antonia now or are you Selena?”

Selena smirked, “Well I guess there’s no reason to keep any more secrets, we should go by real names now…I’m Antonia Mancini, youngest child to Anthony Mancini…some would say I’m a prodigal daughter,” she threw up her arms.

Malcolm nodded, “And your father, he wants something—but he’s trying to get it from you by charming you, welcoming you back into the family…even bringing your daughter to you. I think he’s trying the nice way to get what he wants from you, but very soon—I’m sure he won’t be as nice.”

“You know my father,” Antonia responded.

Malcolm smirked, “I know his kind.”

Antonia walked away from him, “He does want something, but I need that thumb drive—so if you or Dani have it, I need it.”

“Does that drive have something to do with Dani’s father’s death?” Malcolm inquired causing Antonia’s gaze to drift to him.

She hurried to stand in front of him, “What do you mean?”

“Dani told me that the night her father died you said that ‘they’ killed him. She said it was a car accident, was it? Or did your family have something to do with it?” Malcolm asked.

Antonia’s eyes narrowed and her eyes grew darker as she stepped closer to Malcolm, “Do not ask me about my husband’s death and do not ask Dani about it. Stop your assumptions. You are here as a guest to Dani and that’s it. Keep it that way.”

“Ok, so how long do you think I will be here?” Malcolm asked.

Antonia smiled, “Just enjoy your time here,” she commented before turning and leaving the room.

Malcolm watched Antonia leave. She _really_ had no idea who Malcolm Bright was, he thought to himself as he left the bedroom behind her.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Dani stood in the middle of the bedroom that she’d been placed in. The bedroom for all intents and purposes was decorated perfectly. White Queen-sized bed, dressers, large closet and pictures on the bookcase. Pictures of her mother as a child, a teen, with her parents (a mother that Dani had never seen pictures of) and what Dani assumed were her mother’s brothers. She stared at the pictures and then looked around at the room. She sat down on the bed and covered her eyes. Her world was spinning out of control and she couldn’t get it to stop. Ever since that night at her mother’s house, she’d been on a rollercoaster and it hadn’t stopped.

Then it was the previous night with Malcolm, “Good going Dani,” she whispered into her hands. She had sex with Bright. The crazy consultant that Gil brought on the team, who turned all of their worlds’ upside down with his outlandish ways—she had fallen for him and acted on those feelings and she really, really enjoyed it. The way he touched her, the way he kissed her, the way they moved in perfect rhythm? It brought a grin to her face that made her feel like a silly school girl. She saw him differently now and it scared her.

Then there was the factor that she was a semi-prisoner in her recently discovered grandfather’s home—who happened to be a criminal who was three steps from the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Dani wasn’t under any false impression that this was a family reunion, she was well aware of the fact that she was being used as a pawn. If she was here under Anthony’s thumb, he could get whatever he wanted from her mother by way of subtly threatening her or even Malcolm. The lack of phones and computers put her on edge, “Danielle,” her mother’s voice followed by a light knock disturbed her thoughts.

Turning, she faced her mother standing in the doorway. Seeing her mother in this home and dressed slightly differently than the mother who wore mostly jeans and t-shirts in New York, dressed in riding gear seemed so weird. It was as if she was staring at her mother’s twin, “Mom,” she licked her lips.

“I guess we need to talk.”

“Guess so,” Dani replied.

Her mother gestured to the love seat in the room and they took seats next to each other, “So I guess it’s time I tell you everything.”

Dani nodded, “I think that would be the best thing at this point.”

Dani watched her mother take a deep breath, “My real name as you know is Antonia Mancini. My father is Anthony Mancini and my mother was Victoria Mancini. My mother died of breast cancer, when I was 12 years old. I’m the youngest of the family, I _have_ …” Antonia paused and grimaced, while closing her eyes, “I _had_ 3 brothers. Georgio is the oldest, he’s 4 years older than me, you met him in San Diego. There’s Joseph who lives in Florida, he’s 3 years older than me and then it was Joseph’s twin Marco. Marco died about 10 years ago. We were a close family. My father gave us children everything material we could possibly want. He treated me like his most prized possession. I could barely go anywhere without some type of security watching me or someone tagging along.”

“So, if you were such a close knit family, what happened, why did you run away and never mention any of this? You told me that your parents died and you were an only child.”

Antonia continued, “When I was 17 years old, me and my best friend Raina had just come from the mall. We’d just graduated from high school a week before and we went to get bikinis” she chuckled, clearing remembering happier times, “we were getting them to wear to a pool party at this guy’s house who Raina had the biggest crush on in high school. It was raining and she left something at home, so we stopped at her house and I was in the car,” Antonia took a deep breath, “she had just got out, she was speaking with her dad and I was leaning over to get something out of my bag--I don’t remember what and it all happened so quickly…gun shots…glass breaking…screaming. Raina started running back to the car and I kept my head down. A car screeched away and when I looked up again, Raina was lying on the stairs in front of her house bleeding with her father. Her eyes are something I will never forget. They haunt me to this day.”

Dani watched her mother relay the story and immediately felt sympathetic, “Turns out, Raina’s dad ran a speakeasy for my father and skimmed a little off the money. My father sent those men to their house, they were supposed to get Raina’s dad and they did—but they also got my best friend. My father…he played the role of concerned employer and concerned and sympathetic father as I fell apart. But one day, I saw Raina’s mother after months of wondering where she went after the funeral…she told me that my father was a murderer and how could I ever look him in the face. I didn’t believe her but I confronted my father and he told me to stay out of his business. That’s when I knew, he was behind it and he had murdered my best friend. I knew I could never forgive him for that. So a few weeks later, I packed my bags and I left while he and my brothers were out on one of their fishing trips and I vowed never to return.”

“And now they come after you, why? What’s on that thumb drive?” Dani asked, “because I know that’s what they were looking for.”

Antonia looked towards the closed bedroom door, “Where’s the drive?”

“What’s on the drive?”

“The only insurance policy we have,” Antonia answered.

“It’s safe,” Dani answered.

Antonia shook her head, “So you’re not going to tell me?”

Dani sighed standing up from the loveseat turning to look at Antonia, “Mom, you had an entire life that you never mentioned. I was so afraid for you. I thought someone had done something _horrible_ to you,” her voice cracked, “and I come here and you are living in some Mafia Princess fantasy!”

Before Dani could blink, Antonia was standing in front of her with her face inches away from her own, “I am not a Mafia Princess, this is not what this is. My friend’s blood was all over my hands that day. I am no princess because that wasn’t a fairytale. _This_ is not a fairytale!” she stated through clenched teeth, “my father has you and Malcolm here as a threat to me and nothing else!”

Dani felt the back of her throat start to burn and her eyes water as Antonia turned away from her and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Malcolm studied the pictures decorating the living room table, “Can I help you Mr. Whitly?” Anthony stated from behind him.

Malcolm turned around smiling at the man who he read about in his many. files at the police station, “It’s actually Bright.”

“Bright what?”

“Malcolm…Bright,” he corrected him.

Anthony raised an eyebrow, “Another one that wants to go by an alias, I see,” he walked over to the bar cart in the corner of the room, “what’s your poison?”

“Oh no…nothing for me,” Malcolm held up his hands, “I’m on _a lot_ of meds and I am very selective as to when I drink alcohol.”

“Meds?”

“Oh yes, you don’t get to be the son of The Surgeon without some side effects,” Malcolm chuckled.

Anthony nodded, “You get water then.”

Malcolm shrugged, “So what is the plan here exactly?”

Taking a sip of his brandy, Anthony raised an eyebrow inviting Malcolm to continue, “I mean, you very…forcefully request the presence of a NYPD detective and NYPD consultant at your home, you take our phones and computers, so I’m just curious, what is the plan? Do you want to keep us here for a day, maybe two or three…a week perhaps?”

Anthony smiled taking a seat in the large chair, “Mr. Bright, what do you know about me or should I say, what do you _think_ you know about me?”

“Well of course, everything is alleged…”

“Of course,” Anthony shrugged.

“You are allegedly a pretty big player in the Boston Mob, feared by many. You operate a couple of bars and _other_ types of establishments around the city that people don’t know much about,” Malcolm began, “some of your associates, employees have turned up missing or met untimely demises…but it’s all just coincidence right.”

“Well unfortunately some people are so unlucky,” Anthony answered.

“Right, so that brings me back to my original question, what is the plan for me…for Dani?”

Anthony downed his drink, “I’m looking for something that belongs to me. I think you know exactly what I’m looking for.”

Malcolm smiled, “I thought this was just a family reunion.”

Anthony sat back, “It is, but it’s also a negotiation. I think you and Danielle have something that my darling daughter stole from me years ago.”

Malcolm smiled, “Dani and I went to San Diego because she thought she had a lead on who took her mom. It turned out it was nothing…”

“Nothing?” Anthony raised an eyebrow.

Malcolm smiled, “Well one thing did happen and I…” he watched Anthony’s mouth turn into a straight line, “I supported Dani when it turned out that we took the trip for nothing. I don’t know what you’re looking for or what you want.”

“You may be telling the truth, but I know that Antonia is hiding something and you and Danielle will be my guests until my daughter decides she wants to talk,” Anthony replied.

“Well I think I will need a phone,” Malcolm explained, “because if my mother doesn’t speak to me in a few days, she will send out every law enforcement agency possible to find me. Everyone knows that Dani is related to you now, so it won’t take much for them to figure out where I may be. I will just tell her that I am here as a part of a family reunion, nothing more and your employees can feel free to watch me have the conversation.”

Anthony walked over to Malcolm placing his hands on his shoulders to force their eyes to meet, “You can contact your mother, but that is it. I am trying to be a hospitable host, but I don’t like to be taken advantage of Mr. Bright, do you understand?”

Malcolm smiled, “I understand.”

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Dani sat at the head of the bed with her knees drawn to her chest. Her mother’s words echoing in her head, she was brought there as a threat and _nothing else_. It wasn’t that she bought into the one big happy family reunion that Anthony had attempted to portray, but her mother slamming her with the truth made her chest tighten. Her tears had fallen, she’d wiped them away and all she was left with now was the pain in her chest. “Knock, knock,” Malcolm stated opening the door and stepping inside.

She looked up at him. His face was the only one she actually wanted to see. He was the one that she trusted above all others at this point. Seeing him enter the room, made her feel better, “Hey.”

“You know, Anthony is a very kind host,” Malcolm closed the door.

“Oh I’m sure he is,” Dani stated as Malcolm took a seat on the bed.

Malcolm took in Dani’s body language and her flushed face, she’d been crying. Whatever happened with her mother, it didn’t help her mood, “How are you? How did the talk with your mom go?”

Dani rubbed her eyes, “Horribly, she told me why she left. Anthony Mancini had her best friend’s father murdered and her best friend was caught in the crossfire. She left and never looked back.”

“Wow…”

“Yeah, wow,” Dani chuckled.

“Well I got Anthony to allow me to call my mother, what do you want to do? If you want Gil and everyone to come here guns blazing—I can make sure the message gets across or do you want to stay here for awhile; try to find out what’s on that thumb drive?” Malcolm asked.

Dani closed her eyes, “I don’t know…on one hand, I feel like I have to learn more about my mom’s life and on the other…I just want to forget that this ever happened. Go back to my life and concentrate on the horrible happenings in the lives of strangers.”

“It’s your call,” Malcolm stated.

“We can give this a couple more days,” Dani nodded, “just a couple.”

Malcolm reached over and took Dani’s hand in his, “I’m here for you Dani, just let me know what you want to do and I’m behind you 100%.”

“You went to San Diego on some crazy hunch that I had and now you’ve been forced to come to Boston all because of my mom’s crazy family. I’m sorry?” she frowned.

Malcolm shook his head, “This is every day stuff compared to what I usually deal with. I cut a man’s hand off the first day I joined your team. I jumped on a landmine instead of going on my tropical vacation. This is nothing, I’m in a mansion that has security and I don’t have to solve one murder.”

“Well when you put it like that,” Dani laughed, “but thank you for being the only person I could count on during this,” she looked into his eyes, leaning forward and briefly catching his lips into a kiss. As the kiss deepened, Malcolm lowered Dani to the bed.

He focused on her neck and then he realized where he was and there were men all over the house with silencers attached to guns, “Umm…I don’t think this is the place or time for us to…” he slowly slid off of her hating every moment.

“Why? Do you think that Anthony’s men will rush in guns drawn?”

Malcolm chuckled, “Actually yes,” he helped Dani sit up.

“Well I guess all is well since you don’t know how to be exactly quiet,” Dani smirked.

Malcolm’s eyes widened, “ _I_ don’t know how to be quiet?”

“From what I remember? No.”

“Dani, I don’t think you want me to give you a play by play of last night,” Malcolm whispered in her ear immediately causing her body to react to the sound of his voice causing her to cross her legs, “A play by play of last night huh?”

Malcolm’s hand drifted up to her neck allowing his thumb to rest on her pressure point and caused her to look at his eyes. Dani wondered how many women before her got lost in those eyes before Malcolm showed them his special brand of Malcolm Bright-ness.

“You know what,” she said standing up and grabbing his hand. The stress levels in the room, in their lives were reaching a point where she needed to do something.

“Where are we going?” he asked as she pulled him into the private bathroom attached to the bedroom, “Dani, I don’t think…” he began but was silenced with her mouth on his. As her tongue searched for entry, he moaned quietly as he opened his mouth to accept her tongue. He leaned her into the counter deepening the kiss while sliding his hands up her shirt to softly caress her back. Antonia was 150% correct about him being a trouble junkie; how else could Malcolm describe making out with Dani in the bathroom of Anthony Mancini’s home?

Dani broke the kiss for a couple of moments, “Lift me onto the counter,” she whispered in his ear.

Dani felt Malcolm’s hands which were slightly chilled touch each sides of her waist and place her on the counter. The craziness of this moment was not lost on her. She was in the bathroom adjacent to a bedroom in the house of her estranged grandfather about to have sex with the man who was just a partner and a friend two days previously. However, at this point, she craved his touch, she craved his kisses, she craved something that she could be control of. Being with Malcolm made her feel good and grounded her. She knew that they would have to deal with all of this eventually, but having these moments right now—in this space, kept her from losing her mind.

They kissed for a few moments with her legs wrapped around his waist, “I want you,” she whispered in his ear, as she pulled his shirt over his head.

She felt Malcolm’s hands go to the button on her jeans and within seconds, had it undone, her zipper down and he was leaning down to slip her jeans off onto the floor. His hands then went quickly to his pants and within moments they were pooled down at his ankles. Dani gripped onto him as she felt him slowly slide inside of her and she exhaled as the feeling of them coming together gave her the calmness that she needed at that moment. With every thrust, she felt herself falling deeper and deeper into the abyss of what it felt to be in these moments with Malcolm.

“Oh shit Malcolm, this feels so good,” she whispered in his ear before he leaned her back and she braced herself against the mirror.

“ _You_ feel good,” he breathed out.

Dani focused on Malcolm as he locked eyes with her, leaning back up she placed her hands on his cheeks and brought him into a kiss. The kiss was passionate, deep and long. It was at that moment that she realized that this attraction and connection they had was so much more than what they expected.

As Dani began to call out as Malcolm continued, he placed his hand over her mouth and kissed her softly on the cheek—which made her feel safer than she had in days. As her muffled moans in the bathroom could only be heard within those walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Malcolm are in an interesting situation, but it's also causing them to become closer. Malcolm's support of Dani is making her see him in a new light. However, Malcolm definitely has some questions...which may lead to tearing him and Dani apart before they can really become a couple.


	8. Chapter 8: Just Like My Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani gets a glimpse of her mother's former life and a glimpse into her grandfather's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate you taking the time to read my newest update, please enjoy.

Malcolm allowed the water to run down his body as he stood under the spray of the square showerhead. Say what you want about criminals, Malcolm thought, some of them had impeccable taste. Playing in his mind were moments an hour earlier of him and Dani in her bedroom, him inside of her as she held onto him for dear life and whispered his name passionately in his ear. The relationship or situation with Dani was rapidly changing and oddly, he wasn’t going about it as methodically as he did his previous relationships.   
Perhaps it was the fact that Dani knew the history with his family, specifically with The Surgeon. She’d seen him at his worst and understood or at least, had the courtesy to smile and act like he wasn’t damaged. Ever since he found the woman in the box, his nightmares had become easier to deal with—but he still kept the restraints just in case there was a night he needed them. Some would say, they were like a security blanket and maybe they were right, but he rather restrain himself than find his body hurdling through his glass window one night because he ate the wrong thing after 10pm.   
Closing his eyes tightly, Malcom flashed to the moment after they unentangled themselves from each other in her bathroom and stared at each other, panting and waiting for the other to speak. Dani was the first to mumble that she perhaps she should go shower and left him standing there with his pants around his ankles. They had given in to a moment of passion and maybe were a little irresponsible. Hitting the wall, he grimaced, he could only hope that they hadn’t made a mistake. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

After spending almost an hour in her own shower, Dani found herself in the kitchen of the house. Her moments earlier with Malcolm played in her mind and in the middle of kicking herself for being so stupid, she realized she hadn’t eaten all day. Opening the refrigerator, she looked inside and found some cold cuts, along with cheese.   
“Looking for something to eat?”   
She peered around the stainless-steel refrigerator door to see Anthony standing in the doorway.   
“I didn’t know what time feeding time was here for the prisoners,” she quipped.   
“It’s at 6, you missed it. You were upstairs with your friend,” he replied.   
Dani could vividly see herself on the counter of the bathroom holding onto Malcolm, “Well sorry, I don’t know the rules here other than no phones or internet.”  
“That pretty much sums it up.”  
Dani rolled her eyes, “Look, why don’t you let us go? You and my mother are in some power struggle for something that I don’t even understand. I don’t know what she has of yours nor why it is so important. Clearly, she doesn’t care about you bringing me here—so how long will you keep us here?”   
“Until I get what I want,” he answered simply.   
“And what is it you want?” Dani asked as Anthony moved her aside and removed the items from the refrigerator. He sat everything out on the counter and began to make a sandwich for Dani pulling bread from a breadbox. She watched him and for a few moments, she got lost in the fact that she was watching her grandfather make her a sandwich.   
Her father’s parents passed away a couple of years before and she missed them immensely. Watching Anthony make her a sandwich kind of brought her back to the days with her Pop Pop.   
“Danielle, I want your mother to give me the information that she stole from me years ago. It’s worth a great deal to me,” he replied.   
“Why now?”   
Anthony smiled as he pushed the completed sandwich over to Dani, “Detective, some answers you just won’t get from me.”  
“Did you know where we were all of these years?” Dani asked looking down at the sandwich and then back at Anthony.   
He blinked, “Know where you were?”  
“Yes, did you know that my mom went to NY and lived there.”  
“I did.”  
“And why didn’t you make yourself known until now?”  
Anthony’s eyes shifted, “Your mother made it clear that she did not want our family to be a part of her life with you and we honored that.”  
“So money made you break that promise?” Dani snorted, “not surprised. Money is always the root of it all.”  
“Danielle, your mother knows what I want and it’s not connected to money. The sooner she gives it to me, the sooner you get to go home with your friend and I’m sure that’s what you want,” he smiled at her.   
“And if she doesn’t give it to you?”  
Anthony smiled terrifyingly as he made his way over to her towering over her and looking down, “If she doesn’t give it to me, I will break promises. One being that I wouldn’t lay a hand on your friend. You tell your mother that this is not some game that I am playing. I want the thumb drive she stole from me all of those years ago when she came here in the dead of night after your father died.”  
When the words left his mouth ‘after your father died’, Dani felt her stomach lurch, “My mother came here after my dad died?” she asked watching his eyes.   
Anthony stared at her for a few moments, “Antonia knows what she has to do,” he stated before leaving Dani in the kitchen without another word. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Throwing his restraints in the middle of the bed, Malcolm stood staring down at the leather strips. A light knock came from the doorway and he moved towards it, opening it to Dani standing on the other side, “Hey,” she said somewhat avoiding his gaze, “I decided that if I’m going to be a prisoner here, I’m going to sleep and spend time with the person that I want to.”  
“And what if I have a night terror?”  
“I’m here and I will keep the security away from you,” Dani smirked.   
Malcolm returned her smile and moved to the side to allow her access into the room. She was dressed in just shorts and a tank, but knowing what was under those clothes made him lick his lips slightly.   
“Do you think you really need these tonight?” she asked holding up the restraints.   
“Maybe not,” he threw them on the floor as Dani crawled up the bed to the top, “if you have a night terror, I will punch you in the face and that should solve everything,” she gave him a wry smile looking over into his almost translucent eyes.   
“Of course, it will,” he slipped In next to her.   
Dani looked over at Malcolm for a few moments, “I was downstairs earlier because I realized I missed dinner and Anthony decided to make me a sandwich.”  
“That’s…different,” Malcolm answered.   
“For a minute,” Dani breathed out deeply, “it was almost like he was my grandfather, like a real grandfather and someone not using me a pawn,” she concentrated on a loose thread in the comforter, “it was nice for a couple of moments, until he told me that my mother stole the thumb drive from him after my father died,” Dani said with a hint of pain, “Malcolm, she came here after my father died, what does that say?”  
“Has she mentioned that before?”  
Dani shook her head, “What are you thinking?” she asked.   
Sighing, Malcolm looked over at her, “Do you really want to know?”  
“Malcolm, I didn’t bring you to San Diego just because I thought you could be a good wingman. You’re smart. You see things and can figure out mysteries faster than anyone else I know. So, I am asking you, what are you thinking? Why did my mom come here after my dad died and take that thumb drive?”  
“Because she needed an insurance policy,” Malcolm answered.   
Dani closed her eyes and opened them quickly, “Insurance policy? You think my mother’s family killed my dad?” she leaned on her elbow staring down at Malcolm.   
He could see the mix of anger, sadness and confusion in her eyes and he suddenly hated this conversation, “I think you already know the answer to that.”  
Dani shook her head, “I don’t think my mother would keep that a secret, even after all of these years. She had no intentions on coming back here. She says she left because of her best friend and the drive has to be connected to that.”  
Malcolm nodded slowly, he watched as Dani eyes blinked rapidly as she spoke. She was not only trying to convince him, but also herself. He understood her need to protect her mind and her heart in an effort to hold onto the last shred of normalcy she had—despite being a great detective, the human mind and heart, often convinced us of things that we knew couldn’t be true, “You’re right, it has to be connected to her best friend and her death.”  
Dani gave him a halfhearted smile, before snuggling under the covers and Malcolm following her. She moved closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her body as she sunk into the curve of his body and perfectly melded her body to his. Malcolm closed his eyes for a few moments as the moon shone brightly in the room. He focused on Dani’s face as it relaxed. It been a long day, but Malcolm’s thoughts were consumed with figuring out how to get that thumb drive and see its contents. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

“Where are you!?!” Jessica hissed into the phone while Malcolm smiled over at Tony staring at him the next morning.   
“Umm, well…that’s kind of hard to say. I want you to know that I am safe. Dani invited me to spend some time with her family,” Malcolm replied smiling cheekily over at Tony, who rolled his eyes in response.   
“Oooh with her family,” Jessica purred, “are you two more than friends now?”  
Closing his eyes, Malcolm scowled, “Mother, we can discuss this at another time.”  
“Is everything ok?”   
Malcolm looked over at Tony again, who stared daggers at him, “Everything is fine for now. I just wanted you to know that you may not hear from me for a couple of days—you know, family reunion and all.”  
“OK, fine…I will wait for another call in a few days and I will tell Gil where you are.”  
“That’s exactly what I want you to do,” he replied.   
Jessica gave him an exasperated sigh, “I don’t like this Malcolm. I think something’s wrong.”  
“Everything is fine. Dani’s family are hospitable hosts. Her grandfather’s house resembles Uncle Russell’s actually.   
“Oh really? Ostentatious?”  
“Not quite, but just as large,” Malcolm commented looking around.   
“Either way, you take care of yourself and you tell Dani, I said hello. I want to hear from you tomorrow because I am suspicious Malcolm.”  
“Yes Mother,” Malcolm smiled over at Tony before ending the call, “Mothers, am I right?”  
Tony growled in response.   
“So are you just an employee or are you a cousin or…”  
“None of your business,” Tony answered.   
Malcolm smiled, “Ahh…how about a nephew?”  
He watched as Tony’s eyes slowly turned into slits, “You’re named after your uncle, Anthony right? He gave you a cushy job as what? An enforcer?”  
Malcolm watched the 6’4”, large man who was built like a football player eyed him like someone he wanted to tear from limb to limb. He watched as his jaw clenched and he backed off, “So you watched me make my phone call, what do I get to do now?” Malcolm asked.   
Tony walked away from him and that was definitely Malcolm’s answer. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

“So this is where you grew up?” Dani asked walking through the grass towards the small stable where she assumed, her mother’s horse lived.   
“This is where I grew up,” Antonia looked around at the large oak trees surrounding the house and the adjacent land.   
“Was it hard to walk away from it?” Dani asked.   
Antonia stopped walking, “After seeing my friend gunned down in front of me, it kind of destroyed the mystique of living here in the grand house being watched by security 24/7. This, my Danielle was not Camelot”  
Nodding Dani continued to follow her mother, “You could have told me about this, you know,” Dani looked around, “told me who your father was. It may have mattered when I applied to the academy.”  
Antonia shook her head, “I thought about it. I really did, but then I thought—maybe they wouldn’t let you in. Maybe they would find out who my dad is and that would disqualify you.”  
Dani snorted, “Well I guess the NYPD had other plans, using me as a pawn.”  
Antonia snorted, “Shady as always.”  
They entered the barn and immediately Dani saw a regal ebony horse in one of the stalls staring directly at them. Antonia smiled walking over and slowly caressing the horse’s mane, “Merlin, please meet my darling Danielle,” Antonia gestured towards Dani.   
The horse neighed and bowed his head, “Well that wasn’t expected,” Dani chuckled.   
“He’s very well behaved after all of these years; he was just a pony when I left. His mother , Scarlet, was the horse that I rode in competition.”  
Dani reached out and touched Merlin tentatively. She did remember her mother taking her to ride ponies when she was younger, but she always assumed it was something that her mother assumed she would enjoy, “Did Dad ever suspect that you had another life you never told him about?” Dani asked.   
“If he did, he never asked.”  
Dani nodded, “Anthony threatened Malcolm yesterday. He wants the drive you took from him.”  
“Of course, he did.”  
“What is going on here? What is on that drive?”  
Antonia sighed opening her mouth before looking towards the doorway, “How can I help you Tony?” she asked looking at the man framing the entire doorway.   
“You know the rules Antonia.”  
“Never alone, I know,” she rolled her eyes, “not much has changed since I was a teenager.”  
“Where’s Malcolm?” Dani asked.   
“At the house,” Tony replied brusquely.   
“Then I will go see what he’s doing,” Dani looked at her mother and then headed out of the barn. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

After spending 20 minutes searching the common areas of Anthony’s palatial home for Malcolm, Dani found him kneeling in front of the rose garden eyeing a silver plaque, “I had no idea that you had an interest in gardening,” Dani interrupted his thoughts walking onto the patio.   
Malcolm smiled rising to his full height turning to her. Laying eyes on her at that moment, his heart beat a little faster in his chest. The rapid changes in their relationship, still set him back a little, “I’m not admiring the roses per se, it looks like this is a memorial for Anthony’s wife, your grandmother, Victoria Mancini”  
Dani glanced over at the silver place sticking out of the ground, “Well I guess my mom didn’t lie about one thing.”  
Malcolm turned to her, “How did your trip to the stables go.”  
Dani crossed her arms while rolling her eyes, “Well, it was…surreal. I won’t say that we were poor when I was growing up, we were ok. But to know that she grew up here…” she gestured to the large home, “with horse stables and all of this land…it’s kind of a lot, you know.”  
“Knowing you’re an heiress?” Malcolm smirked.   
“I’m not an heiress. I don’t know these people and I am not a part of this family…I have no interest in being part of this family,” she protested.   
Malcolm took a few strides over to Dani places his hands on her arms sending jolts up and down her body as she met his eyes, “Trust me, I know what it feels like to want to divorce the undesirables within your family—but you can never escape it in the end. Your mother tried and here we are.”  
“Am I supposed to embrace a man…a family full of criminals,” Dani whispered.   
“No, but at the very least you need to understand that they are your family and at the very least play this game until we can figure out what’s on that thumb drive or find a way out of here. You used to go undercover, I’m sure you can act when you need to,” Malcolm watched her eyes.   
Dani blushed under his intense stare, “Fine.”  
Malcolm’s hand slowly made it to her cheek caressing it softly with his thumb before a throat clearing interrupted the moment; looking over Dani’s shoulder, Malcolm noticed Peter standing in the doorway, “Dinner will be served this evening at 6pm, your presence is required in the formal dining room. Please be on time and dress accordingly,” he eyed Dani before turning on his heels and leaving then alone.   
“Dinner, guess I better wear something nice.”  
“Guess so,” Malcolm answered following her into the house. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Later that evening, entering the formal dining room, Malcolm was transported to his mother’s dining room and immediately he felt a wave of anxiety come over him. The dining room table was impeccably decorated, glasses of water and wine were already poured. The perfect silverware sparkled. This was not a dinner of pleasantries despite the appearance.   
“Malcolm, take a seat; you know women, they will be late on purpose,” Anthony entered the room along with Georgio.   
“Of course,” Malcolm turned towards the table, “where should I sit?”  
Anthony gestured to one of the seats on the right side of the table, which prompted Malcolm to take the seat followed by Georgio directly across from him and Anthony at the head of the table. Immediately, a woman emerged from the kitchen carrying a wicker basket with bread and olive oil, placing it in the middle of the table, “Thank you Mary,” Anthony smiled warmly.   
“So Malcolm tell us, how much do you think Danielle cares about you?” Georgio asked reaching for a slice of bread and placing it on his plate.   
Malcolm watched Georgio slowly pour the olive oil on the small plate for a few moments as he glanced over.   
“I imagine she cares about me as much as she would any friend,” Malcolm answered watching Anthony take a sip of his wine as he made eye contact with Georgio, “and I do wonder what is keeping her and her mother,” he stated glancing towards the archway.   
“You are aware that we believe you and Danielle are in possession or at the very least, are the key to reclaiming an item that belongs to me, aren’t you?” Anthony inquired as he sipped his wine.   
“I figured as much from the way your associates were so eager to get me and Dani here,” Malcolm answered, “but I’m afraid that I have no idea where your item is or can be found, when we say that California was a dead end—it was. We don’t know what you are after.”  
“Impressive,” Anthony answered.   
“What do you mean?” Malcolm asked.   
“You lie as easily as my sons and daughter do. I fear, Danielle is not as gifted. Despite the Mancini blood that flows through her veins, she is not a Mancini. She has a weakness,” Anthony replied taking a bite of his bread. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Dani stood in front of the dresser staring in the mirror looking down at the black dress she threw on. Why she even played this game that Anthony created for her and Malcolm, she would never know. She hated this. She hated every…well…maybe not every aspect of this. When she was with Malcolm, she could forget for a few moments that her life hadn’t turned upside down and part of her identity turned out to be a lie.   
“6pm was 10 minutes ago,” Antonia stated from the doorway.   
Licking her lips, Dani closed her eyes, “So it was,” she retorted turning around.   
“My father won’t be pleased.”  
Dani shrugged, “How long will this go on for?”  
“It could be over quickly Danielle, where is that thumb drive?”  
“Anthony threatened Malcolm,” Dani countered, “what does that mean?”  
“That means…” Antonia breathed out, “that you need to give me the drive. I am the only one who can protect you and Malcolm here.”  
Dani closed her eyes taking a deep breath, “Ms. Antonia, Ms. Danielle, your presence is wanted in the formal dining room…now,” Peter stated from the doorway.   
“Well I guess we should go,” Dani took a long look at Antonia before turning to walk out of the room followed by Antonia. She could hear the sound of voices from the formal dining room as she stepped into the front foyer following Peter. Entering the dining room, the men gathered around the table stopped speaking.   
“Don’t stop on our account,” Antonia answered taking a seat next to Georgio as Dani took a seat next to Malcolm.   
“So glad that you decided to join us, I remember how you and your mother would spend hours getting ready for our Sunday dinners and we would be here waiting eating bread,” Anthony chuckled.   
Antonia sipped her wine without responding. Malcolm noticed Antonia’s stone face and Georgio looking down as Anthony continued to speak, “Victoria would be so pleased to see that you have continued the tradition with your own daughter.”  
“We were late because we didn’t want to come, much like Mother and I didn’t care to indulge you in these happy family dinner facades,” Antonia snapped turning her head to stare directly at Anthony, who’s eye twitch and his tightened grip on his wine glass did not escape Malcolm’s gaze.   
“Tonia, really?” Georgio scoffed causing the woman to focus on him, “Georgio, will you ever stop playing Father’s little sidekick, if it’s not you playing it…its poor orphaned Tony, where is he by the way? You didn’t invite him to dinner, Daddy?” Antonia remarked sarcastically, “or is he not essential to your plan here?”  
At that moment, Peter and Mary entered the dining room carrying dinner plates and carefully sitting them down.   
Antony slowly sliced into his chicken breast which adorned the plate along with spinach and rice, he took a bite and then spoke, “My daughter has decided that she doesn’t want niceties, so let’s stop them. Antonia, you came to my home disrespecting me and you stole something that was important to this family and I want it back. I believe you know where it is or your daughter does and I am getting it back tonight,” Anthony focused on Dani and Malcolm, “and if I don’t get it back tonight, there may be one less person at this table during our next Sunday dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the newest update. I took a slight break, but the latest episode definitely put me back into the Brightwell writing mood. 
> 
> Please show your love/like for this story.


	9. Bloodlines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets, Betrayals and Revelations all come to light during dinner. What has Antonia been hiding? How will Dani react? Will Malcolm make it out alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all of the recent kudos and those who have stuck with me from the start. I can't thank you enough!

As soon as the words left Anthony’s mouth, Malcolm’s hand immediately went to Dani’s thigh under the table to comfort her by gently squeezing it. The tension in the room amplified tenfold and for the first time in days, Malcolm believed that his life was truly at risk. Anthony was operating under the belief that threats and fear would get him what he wanted and if Dani reacted to his words, whatever upper hand they had—would disappear.   
“Father, those threats won’t get you want you want,” Antonia spoke up, “leave the kids alone.”  
“They are not kids, they are pretty intelligent—especially, Mr. Profiler over here. Antonia, you brought law enforcement into a family matter and what do you expect me to do about that?” Anthony countered, “we know that when they leave this home, the authorities will be here before I could finish my dinner—so how do you see this ending Antonia?”  
“How do you see it ending, Father?” Antonia’s unwavering eyes met her father’s, “because no matter what you say, I still have what you are after and if you do anything to my daughter or her friend, you will never get it back. I am a Mancini and I know exactly how to get what I want.”  
Anthony smiled. It was a smile that unnerved Malcolm. It was shrewd…devious and it made him want to prepare Dani for what was coming, “Yesss…Antonia,” Anthony drawled, almost like a serpent, “you do know how to get what you want,” Anthony turned to Dani, “did your mother ever tell you why she came here the night that your father died?”  
Malcolm noticed Dani’s eye twitch along with her tightening grip around her fork, before he could give her any cue to not take the bait, she was already speaking, “She thought you killed him. Did you?” Dani probed.   
“Is that what she told you?!?” Georgio erupted speaking up causing everyone’s eyes to turn to him.   
“Georgio…” Anthony tried to silence his son sitting at the end of the table, but realized that it would be futile.   
“No, Father! Antonia sits here and judges us, even has her daughter judging us when she enjoyed the fruits of your labor for years. Her best friend’s father was a fucking thief who thought that he could steal from us and get away with it! He didn’t care about his family, look…Raina’s death was an unfortunate consequence, but that is what happens when you cross us!” Georgio exploded, “you sit at this table with your contempt for us. You blame us for your husband’s death, when you are the reason your husband is dead and you know it!”   
“Georgio close your mouth!” Anthony roared from his end of the table as Dani focused on Antonia staring at her brother in disbelief with shocked disbelief written all over her face. Malcolm took in the visages around him as they all digested the words that were revealed and continued to be revealed. It was like a heat missile coming towards them and he wanted to jump in front of it to protect Dani, because at that moment he knew—she would be the only one damaged by what would be said.   
“Mom? What is he talking about?” Dani asked.   
“Danielle…”  
“What is he talking about!” Dani raised her voice, leaning over and banging both of her fists on the table.   
“Dani…” Malcolm spoke softly. Dani was a volcano threatening to erupt. Her life had flipped off its axis over the last week and she was fighting for control, but he saw it leaving her.   
“What does he mean? How are you responsible for Daddy’s accident?” she stood staring around the table at all the players on this chess board.   
“Danielle, please sit down,” Antonia spoke quietly.   
“Tell me the truth!” Dani screamed as her voice echoed throughout the room and tears sprang to her eyes, “I’ve spent a week and a half trying to make sense of your lies, trying to understand how you could lie to me day in and day out. Someone gave me concussion because of your lies. I don’t even know who I am at this point and now, I hear this…I want to know what you did. I want to know how you are responsible for Daddy’s death?”  
“Danielle, take a seat,” Anthony ordered quietly.   
Dani’s head whipped around to him,” No, you don’t get to tell me what to do, ” she snarled defiantly before turning her eyes back to Antonia, “tell me, mom…tell me!”  
Antonia’s lips trembled, “I…Danielle, we can talk, but not here.”  
“No,” Dani shook her head, “we’re not going to talk somewhere else for you to tell me more lies, Georgio…what did you mean when you said it’s my mother’s fault that my father is dead?”  
Georgio rolled his eyes as Anthony stared back at him, “This is how we got into this, Antonia and her self-righteousness…”  
“I was only trying to protect you,” Antonia spoke up as her voice shook, she looked at Dani who slowly took her seat, “one night, we went to one of your basketball games at St. Mary’s.”  
Malcolm looked over at Dani—she played basketball? He was oddly intrigued, but turned his attention back to Antonia as she continued, “And I looked across the court and there was a man that I recognized. Someone that I recognized, someone from the life I left behind. Fredrico Bossna. I went over to him and I confronted him, asked him why he was at the game. He wouldn’t tell me, but he commented that Number 9 was pretty talented and very pretty…it would be a shame if she lost her beauty.”  
“I was Number 9,” Dani breathed out.   
Antonia closed her eyes as a tear fell from her eyes, “I told him that I was a Mancini and my daughter was too and if he did anything to harm her, he and his entire family would be dead.”  
Dani fell into the back of her chair and stared back at her mother as tears fell from her eyes.   
Antonia swallowed as she continued, “He told me that you had something that he wanted and you refused to give it back, so since I am a Mancini—I could get it back,” Antonia turned to Anthony who looked uncomfortable in his chair, “do you remember that night Daddy? I called you for the first time in years and asked you to protect my family, to protect my daughter and do you remember what you said to me?”  
Anthony stared at his daughter, “I said, I don’t know a Selena Powell.”  
Antonia pointed at him wearing a scornful smile on her face, “That’s right, you said you didn’t know Selena Powell,” she hissed disgusted, “you said you wouldn’t protect us.”  
“You walked away, you left…you disappeared and then you marry…”  
“I married who, Daddy?” Antonia challenged cutting him off.   
Anthony stole a glance at Dani who was staring from Anthony to Antonia.   
“I begged you to protect my family, you knew that the Bossnas were coming after me because you did something…you had an agreement of some kind and you reneged! I begged you to protect us and you didn’t!”  
“I protected you!” Anthony slammed his fist down on the table causing every item on the table to move, “they wanted to kill all of you damn it! I let them know that they were not to touch anyone with Mancini blood and they didn’t.”  
“You offered up my husband in your little war!” Antonia shouted.   
“I’m going to be sick,” Dani breathed out looking around the room.   
“If you hadn’t left my protection, this would have never happened! I don’t back down from anyone! You know that and you also know that I will always protect my own, that man was not family to me! I protect you and your daughter and what do you do, you come here and you steal from me. You blackmail me!”  
“What else was I supposed to do!” Antonia argued, “my husband was dead and you allowed it to happen, I had to make sure that my daughter would be safe. That thumb drive was all I had to make sure you would protect Danielle, even if something happened to me,” Antonia argued and then turned to Dani, “Danielle, I needed to protect us. After your dad died, I had to do something. So yes, I took what the Bossnas wanted. They wanted the thumb drive that contained a video of you and Michael Bossna agreeing to assassinate Councilman Graves. The assassination that took place 3 weeks after your meeting. The Bossnas knew I had it and they knew that as long as I had it and they left me alone, it would never fall into the wrong hands because I knew that it was the only way to keep them away from me and my daughter.”  
“Traitor as always,” Georgio shook his head in disgust looking at Antonia standing next to him.   
Antonia glared defiantly at Anthony, a silent conversation happening between them.   
The tears freely flowed from Dani’s eyes and as an observer, Malcolm was ready to stop her from slicing everyone at the table to pieces. She rose from the table without a word.   
“Danielle, please sit back down,” Antonia rose from her seat as Dani made her way out of the dining room.   
“Let me go after her,” Malcolm rose following Dani up the stairs.   
He found her in her room, “Dani, let’s talk for a moment.”  
She didn’t say a word, but he saw the thumb drive in her hand, “What are you doing?” he rushed over in front of her standing in front of her.   
“They can have it and hope they all kill each other over it.”  
“But we don’t know what’s on it, we don’t know if Antonia was telling the truth or not.”  
“I don’t care what’s on it!” Dani shouted and then lowered her voice, “I don’t Malcolm, I want to leave this house. It’s suffocating me. I can’t be here; I can’t be here with these people. I can’t, do you understand that,” she pleaded with him, “we are leaving this place tonight and I don’t care what I have to do,” she turned on her heels and marched out of the room with Malcolm following behind.   
He saw the shattered spirit of Dani, it practically showed outside of her body. Everything she thought she knew or believed, had slowly been taken away from her for the last couple of days. He followed her down the stairs where Antonia, Georgio and Anthony’s voices could be heard arguing. Dani entered the dining room, “Here’s your thumb drive that you were willing to kidnap, assault and torture people for,” she held up the 2-inch piece of plastic.   
“Danielle,” Anthony stood up from the table.   
“All of the confessions tonight, all of the sadness, anger, heartbreak and betrayal…I don’t want to be part of this family. I want to forget you all exist, so this drive…” Dani looked at the plastic in her hand and threw it on the floor stepping on it as Anthony jumped up from the table. As Dani crushed the plastic beneath her foot, Antonia cried, “it’s gone, so whatever terrible secrets, crimes that it linked you to is gone. I’m done. I’m going to pretend that you are all dead like my mother told me for years and as far as I am concerned, Selina Powell never existed. I’m leaving and I don’t want any of you to contact me ever again. If I have to walk to the airport, I will and if you want to stop me, one of your employees will have to shoot me in the back.”  
Anthony rushed over towards Dani, standing directly in her face as Antonia stood up and Malcolm moved closer to Dani, ready to get pummeled more than likely by Anthony, who spoke quietly and menacing, “No matter what you say or what you do Danielle, you will always have Mancini blood flowing through you,” he whispered as if it were a curse.   
Dani stared into Anthony’s eyes that were almost black and turned without a word, heading towards the stairs.   
“Danielle, please…” Antonia started to go after her, but Malcolm took her hand softly causing her to look at him with blazing eyes.   
“I think you need to give her some time…how about calling a car, a safe one for us to go back to New York. You got what you wanted in a way; you wanted the drive…you have it. Let Dani just go and deal with what was said tonight,” Malcolm remarked quietly.   
Antonia searched Malcolm’s eyes for a few moments, “Call Dani and Malcolm a car to take them back to New York,” she looked over her shoulder at Anthony, “let them go.”

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Within an hour, Malcolm found himself riding beside Dani in a black SUV traveling towards New York City. The driver was clearly from a transportation company due to the niceties he displayed loading the bags into the cargo area and opening the door with a smile. Antonia had stood in the vestibule watching with tears flowing down her face, but said nothing as Dani brushed past her with no words.   
Now, Malcolm found himself sitting next to the silent Dani, who moved as close to the passenger side door as possible. When the driver asked them what they wanted to hear, Malcolm answered quickly with whatever the driver preferred. He watched as Dani leaned her head against the window as the car moved at a steady speed along the highway. His hand twitched as he debated on reaching over to take her hand, but by the way she placed her right hand in her lap and the way she chewed on her left—that told him she didn’t want to be touched by anyone.   
Her life had blown apart in almost two weeks, the death of her father that she had put behind her years ago resurfaced in the ugliest way possible. What was thought of as a horrible accident wasn’t that at all, but a hit that could have been prevented. The lies, the deceptions, Dani was wrecked and he was well aware that it would take her a long time to recover. He would be there, if she let him in.  
With every moment since he met Dani, he realized that she slowly helped him heal. What he thought was closed off or what he didn’t deserve or couldn’t handle turned out to be untrue. Being with Dani, sleeping beside her and spending time with her just being friends and so much more, made him see that he could be that support, he could be with someone who needed him as much as he needed them. He wanted to see what was next with Dani, but also realized she needed to mend.   
Malcolm allowed himself to drift off to sleep for a few moments, which turned into hours and before he knew it, the driver was pulling up in front of Dani’s apartment building.   
The driver hopped out of the car and Malcolm did as well rushing over to open up Dani’s door, “I can come up, we can talk or we can just sit and stare at the wall,” he gave her a small smile.  
She avoided his gaze and spoke quietly, “I’m just really tired. I will call you tomorrow?”  
He fought the disappointment that he felt and nodded, “Ok, sure…and if you need someone to talk to in the middle of the night, I’m here Dani,” he reached down and took her hand.   
She looked up at him and he could see the tears in her eyes, “Ok…thank you Malcolm,” she answered.  
He squeezed her hand in place of the kiss that he wanted to give her.   
Within minutes, he was back in the car heading towards his own apartment, “Soo vacation didn’t go too well?” the driver asked looking in the rearview mirror.   
Malcolm looked up, “In some ways yes, in some ways no.”

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPPSPS

Dani turned her key and entered her apartment, turning on the light to find that her apartment had been cleaned and anything that was previously broken had been replaced. On the counter, sat a fresh bouquet of flowers, she couldn’t make out whatever the card said in front of the vase but could see it was signed by Jessica Whitly.   
“Malcolm,” she whispered before she found her fingers against her lips as the sob that she held in for 3 and a half hours slipped out. Her mother's words haunted her with every breath she took. Dani’s soft sobs turned into loud ones as she fell to her knees covering her face as she wept for her life that would never be the same. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

“Hey its Dani, leave a message and I may just call you back.”  
Malcolm grimaced as his town car drove towards the precinct, “Hey Dani, it’s me. I know that I’ve called about…oh…” Malcolm lowered the phone from his ear to look at his call history, “about 20 times over the last two days and I understand that you may not want to talk, but I just want…I want to know that you’re ok. We can just talk or just sit silently. Just call me back, ok.”  
He ended the call and tapped the phone against his chin. Over the last two days that he was directed to stay home due to a lack of cases, he had time to obsess over every minute detail of the adventure he had with Dani. From the fact that their relationship had changed drastically to the fact that he had somehow cheated death…again. But throughout it all, his thoughts remained with Dani. Her silence unnerved him. Dani was someone who thrived on keeping calm, keeping her composure, being the rock and with all of the lies, deception and betrayal she received over the last couple of days—she was shattered. He saw it as soon as the words left Anthony’s lips that he saved her and Antonia, but sacrificed her father. The guilt, the anger, the sadness…she was suffocating and she wouldn’t allow him to help her. It was killing him inside. Their relationship was now in the TBD column and he didn’t realize how much he wanted to define it (and continue what they started) until she cut off communication.   
The town car slowed in front of the station and Malcolm hopped out, “See you later this evening, Leonard,” he replied before heading inside.   
Malcolm stepped into the bustling police station and a part of him hoped that Dani was there. Throwing herself into work as he had done many times before or most of his life. Turning the corner heading towards the conference room, he bumped into JT, “Well you’re back, good to know,” JT quipped.   
“Yeah, I am…ahh…is Dani here?”  
“Nope, called out again for the second day. Would you happen to know why?” JT narrowed his eyes in a somewhat threatening manner causing Malcolm to smile slightly, “Guess she needed some more vacation days, is Gil in?” he answered quickly.   
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” JT waved towards Gil’s office heading down the hallway.   
Malcolm turned to see Gil standing outside his office with his arms crossed eyeing Malcolm, who slowly walked towards the office, “Hi.”  
“Inside, now,” Gil responded.   
“I thought we had a case…”  
“I lied, just like you,” Gil gestured inside his office which Malcolm entered quickly as Gil closed the door behind them, “so I want you to start at the beginning and tell me exactly what happened.”  
“Every detail?” Malcolm raised an eyebrow.   
Gil narrowed his eyes.   
Malcolm breathed out, “Ok, Dani’s mom gave her a package the morning that she was taken and she wanted to track it down. She believed that it had something to do with her mother’s disappearance…” he began.   
As Malcolm spoke, Gil’s eyebrows furrowed more and more. Leaving some very personal tidbits out, Malcolm believed that he gave Gil just enough information that he wouldn’t ask any more, “So what was in the package?”  
Malcolm thought back to the dinner at Anthony’s home and Dani smashing the drive, “It was destroyed before we could find out.”  
“And they just escorted you two out of the door?”  
“Funny right?” Malcolm grinned.   
“Uh, huh and Dani…”  
“Knowing that her father’s accident wasn’t exactly an accident hit her hard, of course, on top of all of her mother’s lies.”  
“She hasn’t answered any of my calls,” Gil sighed, “has she answered any of yours?”  
Malcolm felt his heart twist, “No,” he managed to squeeze out.   
“Do you think she’s alright, Kid?” Gil asked seriously.   
Malcolm opened his mouth and suddenly, his throat tightened, “I don’t,” he confessed.   
Gil let out a loud sigh, “I really wish you two had allowed me to help, but there’s not much I can say there,” he pulled one of his desk drawers out and removed two keys from the top, “these were only supposed to be used in case of emergency,” he slid the silver keys over towards Malcolm, “go take care of her as a friend.”  
Malcolm picked up the keys from the desk and stood up, “I will.”   
“Good and give me a call to let me know how she’s doing,” Gil smiled before Malcolm turned around heading out of the office. 

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS

Thirty minutes later, Malcolm climbed the stairs in front of Dani’s Brownstone apartment. He noticed that her car was parked in the lot across the street, which meant she was home. He used one of the keys to open the main door and stepped into the foyer and was immediately met with an older woman with smooth chestnut skin making her way down the stairs, “Who are you?” she asked suspiciously looking at the well-dressed man in front of her with the impeccable eyes and expensive shoes.   
“Umm…I’m here to see a friend, she lives…”  
“The cop? Dani? You’re here for her?” the woman smiled slyly and raised an eyebrow, “you’re dressed like a million bucks, guess she found her prince charming.”  
Malcolm smirked, “I don’t think Dani needs to be rescued.”  
“We’re not all made of steel, you know,” the woman quipped before heading out the door.   
Malcolm watched the woman make her way down the stairs and smiled thoughtfully, turning to head up the stairs towards Dani’s apartment.   
He stopped in front of her door raising his fist to knock, but stopped. If he knocked, she could probably have time to put the chain on (if it wasn’t already). However, if he didn’t knock and just walked in—she could just shoot him. He spent a few moments staring at the numbers on her apartment door and closed his eyes, before knocking and then sticking the key in the lock…in the end, both won out, “Dani, hey…it’s me,” he stated knocking as he opened the door slowly to her darkened apartment.   
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him slowly, “Dani, it’s Mal…Bright,” he corrected himself looking around the apartment. He could see a bouquet of flowers on the counter that had begun to wilt, but the apartment definitely looked as if nothing had been touched or broken. He owed his mother both brunch and dinner one of these weekends.   
“Dani,” he asked again and then he heard the sob causing his head to turn towards the hallway.   
He followed the sound of someone gasping and entered the hallway, where he found Dani sitting on the floor dressed in grey sweats and a t-shirt with her hair gathered in a ponytail. Her phone was beside her; her eyes were puffy and red and her face was completely flushed. Malcolm slowly entered the hallway, “Dani,” he whispered. He watched as she wiped her eyes with the back of hand as if to hide that she had been crying.   
“I know you called,” she said quietly sitting up straighter, “I just…I just…” she began to say but her voice caught in her throat as Malcolm lowered himself to the floor to sit next to her.   
“It’s ok,” he whispered wrapping his arm around her pulling her towards his body as her body shook with sobs, “I’m here Dani, I’m here as long as you need me to be,” he pulled her in closer as they sat in the middle of the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How will Dani cope with everything she learned? Will she accept Malcolm's help or will she push him away?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for indulging me, please share your love/like and I will be back with the next chapter soon...


End file.
